Bull's Helmet
by Lady3jane
Summary: Gendry's got a new motorbike and Arya thinks it's HOT. Very AU, she's 20 and just arrived back home. It's my spin on how Arya & Gendry would be in the modern world. She's still from an aristocratic family and he's not...yet?...but he's still gorgeous and he knows it! Seriously smutty. Angsty. Some Robb, Jon, Sansa - modern style. Purists be warned. GRRM owns these great characters
1. Chapter 1

Arya had received the text on Saturday afternoon. It was from Gendry and all it said was "Got new bike. Want me to come get you 10am Monday?"

They'd swapped numbers the week before when she'd met him again in, probably the most embarrassing place she could have imagined: the doctor's surgery waiting room. After three years, there he was, her best friend from childhood, sitting in the crowded, local doctor's surgery. She groaned inside. She had planned to get this doctor stuff sorted quietly but as soon as she walked in she met someone she knew. Someone she'd _known _was probably a more accurate assessment of the situation now. All the same, she felt like she'd been found out, caught. Guilty and she hadn't even _done_ anything yet! This was not how she'd planned her trip to the doctors to turn out, but maybe this unexpected meeting could turn out to be just what she needed after all.

Last time they'd seen each other she was seventeen with absolutely no interest in boys. Having four brothers was enough to put any girl off them for life – or so she'd thought at the time. Gendry was about the same age as her two older brothers; about five years older than her. While she was still at school they were out drinking, partying and chasing anything female with a pulse. They had changed from being dirty, smelly, crude boys to posers, still stinking but this time the reek was of _way_ too much of the latest aftershave. The three of them had seemed to Arya then to be either permanently mooching around or hung-over or letching at the latest "babe".

Not that Gendry was anything like her brothers in most ways. Jon and Robb had gone to the best fee paying schools. When they weren't letching after girls, their time was spent fencing, horse riding and playing at being Captains of Industry in their school clubs. Gendry hadn't had all their advantages in life. He'd not grown up in Winterfell, the largest stately home for miles around, but rather in a tied cottage in the grounds. As manageress of the "The Wolf's Head", the village pub owned by the Winterfell Estate, his mother had been entitled to use of one of the cottages on the edge of the Winterfell grounds and that was how Arya and Gendry had met, had become best friends. While her brothers and big sister Sansa had been packed off to boarding schools and gone willingly, Arya had hated it so much she'd run away dozens of times in the first few years. So may times that her parents had eventually given up and let her come home. Of course then she had to go to the local school and that's when she really got to know Gendry.

She'd walk through Winterfell's grounds to his mother's cottage every morning to meet him as he was the only other kid on the Estate going to the local school. He was expected to look after the Lord of the Manor's daughter and make sure she got there and back safely. Gendry took his responsibility very seriously, but he was also full of fun. Every trip had seemed to her to be a wonderful adventure, as they'd climbed trees, fallen in streams and taken advantage of every opportunity a country childhood could offer. She followed him everywhere, trying to copy everything he did. The boy and his shadow. He'd been her champion when the village kids had teased and tried to bully her for being the daughter of the Lord; not because she had any airs and graces, quite the opposite - just because she was different. "Sir Gendry" she'd called him sometimes to wind him up. With Gendry always ready to fight anyone who tried to pick on her, the local kids eventually gave up and got on with just resenting her. All too soon for her liking, he'd left school, got an apprenticeship as a mechanic in Baratheon's garage in the village and then there were no more daily adventures. Eventually he had not wanted a school kid hanging around at weekends either. Her hero worship had turned to hurt at the rejection, and then faded into memory as she found other friends and interests. And so they just drifted apart, hardly seeing each other until she'd left home at seventeen to go to University. If he'd been around during her infrequent visits to Winterfell in the past three years, then she hadn't noticed, but by God, she had certainly noticed in that waiting room.

The Gendry she remembered was permanently oily, scowling and had an attitude bad enough to scare anyone off, not just a gangly, insecure seventeen year old girl. He'd been a world away from her when she'd last seen him, busy becoming a man when she was very much still a girl. Now she was a sophisticated twenty year old, come back to the countryside, full of the confidence and misguided superiority instilled by three years of the best University education her father's money could buy. Now she'd had boyfriends, had boys as friends and knew that if she chose to turn on her sexuality, to work her practiced routine of the innocent girl in the woman's body, any man could be hers. She decided the instant her brown eyes met his blue; she was going to have Gendry Waters.

He had always been tall, but back then he'd been hunched, self conscious. Being broad shouldered but not yet filled out, at twenty two he still looked like an overgrown boy rather than a man. Three more years of manhood and a physically demanding job had turned him into a perfect example of how Arya thought a man should look. The broad shoulders were now obviously packed with muscle and even just sitting there in a T shirt and jeans she could tell there wasn't a spare bit of flesh on him: his T shirt tight on his toned stomach and arms. Fuck - the arms. He had big biceps, but not those weirdly bulging, stuck on biceps with the narrow wrists of the gym boys she knew, but powerful arms with the muscled forearms, solid wrists and strong, wide hands (she saw these only briefly before he stuffed them in his jeans pockets) that were only earned by heavy lifting and hard work, not bought with an annual gym membership. If she thought she could have got away with running over, jumping on him and just stroking those arms then and there she would have.

His face was almost the same, only smiling with surprise, instead of scowling. Bright blues eyes which, after first locking with hers, scanned her up and down with what Arya now knew from experience to be a man's usual reaction to a hot young girl. The reaction she'd hoped for as soon as she'd spotted him in the surgery. He had a man's dark stubble all over his jaw now, not just on his upper lip and chin like the last time she'd seen him and he also had a stupid big grin plastered to his face. She liked that much better than the stupid sulky scowl of his early twenties. The thick black hair was the same, now cut in a cool style but still falling over his forehead. Definitely sexier than the grown out fringe that used to permanently flop into his eyes - the greasy curtain he used to hide behind. It was the same Gendry only better: manlier, more attractive. Now, looking down at the crotch of his jeans she hoped she knew why he'd stuffed his hands in his pockets that weird way as she'd walked towards him. Yes! She was sure he was pleased to see her, _much_ more so than he'd been three years ago.


	2. Chapter 2

As soon as she had walked towards the door, before he'd had a chance to realise that she was, he'd noticed the sheer material of the dress and the sun behind her, giving him a view that made his cock twitch. A view he'd never forget. For once in your stupid life Gendry you are in the right place at the right time. He happened to be sitting in the middle of the waiting room, in a seat that faced the door and he couldn't have planned it any better if he'd tried. There was Arya Stark, all long legs and curvy arse, walking towards him, looking like she was naked.

Little Arya Stark. No doubt about it. There she was, standing at the doctor's reception desk. What were the chances? He hadn't been to the doctor's surgery for years and the very time he was, she appeared. Despite the years that had passed he'd have know her anywhere. He could still see the scrawny little girl who'd trailed around after him for years, in the way she'd walked through the door, in the "couldn't give a damn" attitude, in her profile as she leant over the reception desk and the way she screwed her face up as she filled in the form the receptionist gave her.

He'd almost got up to go over to her, to call out "Arya" in case she just completed the form and walked out again, but had stopped himself just as he'd been pulling his legs in from the middle of the waiting room floor to stand up. No, you need to play it cool Gendry, look at her. She's a lady now, all long hair and some fancy dress. Shit, he'd never thought he'd see tomboy Arya in a skirt never mind those killer heels. Had he ever thought he'd see her again? He'd hoped, but never, ever, imagined her looking like this.

Apart from the best part, the naked view part, her hair was falling past her shoulders, reminding him that it had been years since he'd seen her. Her hair had been way shorter than his, than anyone else's, the last time he saw her and then it had been brown. Now it was all sorts of shades, golden and shining in the sun as she stood at the desk. "Look at me, look at me now" he willed her. Shit, he probably even muttered it under his breath. Fate was smiling on him as she handed the form back to the receptionist and turned, as if in slow motion it seemed when he replayed it all in his head that night, (and he replayed the naked bit over and over and over again) and looked straight at him.

He couldn't help himself. He smiled the broadest, stupidest smile he could remember smiling and, after an instants hesitation, she was smiling back at him too, with a grin he felt was equally huge. Play it cool Gendry.

"Little Arya Stark. Great to see you again" and he _really_ meant that. "Where have you been hiding?"

She strolled over to him, with that same easy walk she'd always had. God, he really was distracted. When he should have been saying something clever, something witty, saying anything really, he couldn't do anything except watch as the sun was still streaming in the door behind her, giving him another full-on view of her killer curves through that sexy-as- fuck dress. God he was hard and he shoved his hands in his jeans pockets in what he hoped wasn't too obvious a move, or else he'd be making it pretty damn obvious to the whole fucking waiting room that he was _really_ pleased to see her.

"Well, if you can hide in London, I guess I was. But it's great to see you too Gendry".

He wasn't so distracted that he didn't hear the "_great_" part. He managed to drag his eyes off her body and look up at her. He couldn't help himself again. What was it with you and these fucking cheesy grins today Gendry! She was stunning; perfect pale skin with a smattering of freckles over her long, straight nose, big eyes, framed with all that golden brown hair and that fucking dress. Now she was right in front of him he could see it was cut low in a "V" shape at the front and he could see half her tits!

"How long are you back home for?" he managed to blurt out, amazed he just didn't come out with "Fuck! You are gorgeous. What happened Arya?" which was what he was thinking. He was sure it was written all over his stupid big face. She kept smiling at least.

"All summer this time" she said. "Mum's not been too well, I've missed Rickon and Bran so much and Jon and Robb are home more this summer too. I haven't spent time at home the past few years and I thought this summer I'd better, before, well…" She trailed off.

"Give me your number then" he said and for some stupid bastard reason he winked at her. Fuck, what was that all about? She smiled anyway and, when he replayed that bit in his head later, he was sure she blushed too. She said "Sure" and had her phone in her hand before he'd had a chance to figure out how he was going to get his hands out his pockets to get to his phone without giving the whole fucking waiting room a view of the hard-on pressing through his jeans.

"I've got my phone here. Give me yours" she said. He recited the number (hands still in pockets) while she tapped away.

"There. I've sent you a text. Call me" and she winked at him! God, she was still the same cheeky little bitch. He just about stood up and punched the air in triumph. As soon as she'd finished with the phone, her name was called and she walked away swaying that sexy, curvy arse he now wanted to fuck so badly. Bloody typical he though. I've been here 20 minutes and Lady Arya Stark gets called first. Yeah. Arya Stark was back and he broke into another of those stupid, cheesy grins.


	3. Chapter 3

Arya had thought about little else than Monday morning since she had received Gendry's text. Her plan was going better than she had imagined. The doctor had given her a prescription for a contraceptive pill without asking her any questions about her (non existent) sex life and at _the same time_ she had met the man she had decided to give her virginity to. Gendry fucking gorgeous Waters. He was soooo good looking it scared her. He must have had loads of women, so he would know what he was doing when the time came she told herself. God, she was nervous just thinking about it. Maybe if they both got drunk or if she got him drunk he wouldn't notice she was a virgin? At nearly twenty one, Arya had decided her virginity had become a big embarrassment and something she had decided she _had _to get rid of before her twenty first birthday. The problem was that, when she arrived in London, she had pretended to be something she wasn't. Everyone on her course seemed to be so much more sophisticated that she was. Almost all of them had gone to posh private schools and already either lived in, or had gone to school in a city; mostly London, but some from Manchester and other cities up north. She hadn't realised what a country bumpkin she was. What was cool and cutting edge in the countryside of Westeros was three years out of date in London.

The students on her course were split pretty equally between boys and girls and as she didn't know anyone else in London, all her socialising was done with the same group of sixty boys and girls. When they'd first drunkenly discussed sex, some bright spark had decided everyone in the group had to describe how they'd lost their virginity - just as casually as you would discussing the first track you'd ever downloaded. Arya was shocked. She had never though of herself as a prude, but not a single person before her (or after her) said "I'm a virgin". Several of the boys claimed to have been thirteen and doing it with their babysitter! Arya was so shocked, she hadn't though that boys of thirteen could even _do that_! Most of the girls seemed to have done it with their first steady boyfriend around sixteen years old and, being seventeen at the time and one of the youngest on her course, it should have been easier to say "I'm only seventeen and I'm still a virgin", but she hadn't had the guts to and instead had made up a stupid story about a boy she'd met at a festival she'd been to in the summer before she started University. At least she had been to a festival (she'd left out the fact that the festival had been in the grounds of her parent's home) but the rest was lies.

After that, she couldn't tell anyone the truth and as half of her year (the boys) proceeded to shag the other half (the girls) for the next three years. Her lie had to remain hidden from everyone in her year – boys and girls as she didn't trust any of them not to use her embarrassment – _her virginity_ – to get a cheap laugh off the rest. Even after three years, Arya was still shocked by the ease with which her friends would all jump into bed with each other. The boys would call (most of) the girls "slags" behind their backs, but would still take the opportunity if it presented itself (and it frequently did). That just wasn't Arya and that wasn't the way she'd been brought up by her very moralistic parents. Oh she could flirt and grind with the best of them, but there was always _something, _she came to think of it as the "Stark honour", which stopped her going all the way.

As everyone knew who was shagging who and as there were innumerable drunken parties, they only way she saw to avoid being found out was to pretend she was being faithful to her boyfriend back home - "Kevin". To get it on with any of the boys in her year would mean letting them see she was a virgin. That, in turn, would just have shown her to be a stupid country girl and a liar, so with every month that passed the lie become harder to take back. The other problem was that she didn't know anyone else in London, so when she went out, it was always with a mixed crowd of boys and girls from her course. They did always have a great time, but what nice guy was going to approach her in a night club when she was surrounded by and danced all night with male friends?

So the lie grew and became a millstone around her neck. Whether they all noticed that she never seemed to go home to see this "Kevin" or not, Arya didn't dare wonder, but she decided that, as she was the only twenty year old virgin she knew, IT had to be gone by the time she was twenty one. Short of either admitting to one of her male friends the truth and asking him for a shag or picking up some stranger in a nightclub (and London night clubs were full of very strange men) she couldn't see how she was going to get rid of it.

Arya was nothing if not determined, so she decided that Stage One of her plan was to sort out contraception. Of course she would use a condom, but being on the pill AND using a condom was surely the safest way to proceed. Step Two was to find the target/victim/man/boy. London was just too _difficult _and as she had decided to go back home for this summer, the target/victim/man/boy would need to be in Westeros. Surely Robb or Jon or even Bran had a friend that would do?

So, why oh why had she forgotten about Gendry "_oh My God the arms_" Waters? Maybe she had deliberately pushed him to the back of her mind as she definitely had a crush on him when she was much younger – like twelve or something. Her memories of him were all tied up in teenage angst and embarrassment, both his and hers, and she really didn't like thinking about her pre-London self too much. God, what a boring life she had and what a state she was then back then.

All the girls on her course were groomed to perfection. At the beginning the constant talk of hair appointments, highlight, waxings, pluckings, threadings and tannings had made her want to vomit and she had clung determinedly onto her spiky hair and boys clothes. But what had seemed rebellious and cool in Westeros began to seem stupid and childish in London. Eventually she had started growing her hair, going to the latest threading wonder woman and flexing Daddy's credit card on designer clothes like the rest of them. By the end of her first year, she was no longer a country girl and well on her way to becoming a London fashionista. She had even stopped her Tae Kwon Do training (although to be fair that wasn't too hard – none of the classes she had tried in London had been anywhere near as good as Syrio Forel's classes back in Westeros).

So it was a very different Arya that returned to Winterfell that summer. At last she _looked_ like a lady and three years of London living had made her believe she knew how to act like one.

As she had only left London ten days or so before, she didn't feel the need to seek out a local wax yet, but she did pluck her eyebrows herself, go for a fake tan (_definitely_ not up to London standards) and choose what she was wearing very carefully. As this was the first date (she had decided to proceed on the basis that it _was_ a date and not just a catch up for old times sake) she didn't expect him to see her underwear, but never the less, a lady always wore a perfect set of matching bra and pants. She decided black was good as she was going for a ride on a motorbike, but no thongs, _because_ she was going for a ride on a motorbike. She chose a lacy pair of pants, cut high on her hips making her long legs look even longer and her wonderbra. It seemed to fit less well than usual and she wondered, as she tried to wriggle the cups into position over her breasts if taking the pill for a week could have made her breasts bigger already? She'd heard that the pill did that, but _already_? Over the black bra and pants she put a thermal vest. It certainly wasn't an old lady type thermal vest, being the finest black silk that she had bought for skiing two years ago and never worn since. Again, it was see through and seemed rather tight across her chest, pulling her breasts together and making a rather pleasing cleavage. She planned to unzip her jacket just so far when the time was right to give Gendry an eye full of what he was going to get. Just getting dressed and thinking about him with that floppy black hair, blue eyes, the muscled arms and ohhh, getting on a motorbike with him was making her rather wet already and it was only 9.30am.

She applied her make up carefully, making sure she made maximum use of her wide grey eyes and her long lashes. She used to be insecure about her face – "Arya horse face" Sansa used to call her, but as her face had filled out and after picking up a few tricks from a professional make up artist (another London girl must do appointment), Arya knew she was making the most of what she had. Tight skinny jeans to accentuate her hips and her skinny ankles, high black suede boots and an on-trend short black leather jacket completed the look. She wriggled with satisfaction as she checked herself out in the mirror. Let the seduction of Gendry Waters begin…


	4. Chapter 4

Gendry had been considering a new bike for a while. He had already been to the showroom near London a few times to test drive a couple of bikes and had the trade in price confirmed for the sports bike he rode at the moment. Until Arya's return he had still been unsure about taking on another bike loan. The sports bike did him well enough. It was great on twisty roads, but it had no pillion seat to speak of – just a black plastic plank that was normally hidden under the passenger seat cover. Robb, Jon and the rest of his mates might not mind too much mind being perched on a plank, head sticking up in the slipstream as they tore along the country roads, but that was no seat for a lady. He wasn't ready for one of those comfy armchair cruiser types either. No, he'd settled on a Kawasaki ZZR1400 sports tourer with a seat big and wide enough for two and had taken great delight telling the salesman it was time to get a sensible bike for his "girlfriend".

Despite his bravado to the salesman, he knew he was kidding himself. There was no way Arya Stark would ever be his girlfriend - would ever see him as anything other than a friend, was there? What would a Lady of Winterfell want with the likes of him? All the same, he wanted to impress her and bought himself new black leather trousers with reflective white detailing up the thighs and a matching jacket with built in body armour and white detailing on the shoulders (he decided his all-in-one green and black leather racing suit was too "flash" in addition to smelling like a ripe old cheese). Although he knew his fantasies were just that – a fantasy, he decided he was enjoying fantasising that she could be _his_ girl. In the doctor's waiting room she had said she would be around all summer, so his imagination had been working over time on ways the two of them could spend it; the places he'd take her on his bike, the things they would do and screwing, yeah, every scenario involved _loads _of screwing. He sighed.

He had been ecstatic when she had replied to his text saying "GR8 C U then. A x". God he hoped she meant that kiss at the end, but decided he was stressing over it like a teenage girl and that most women put "x" at the end of every txt they sent. Back in the real world, she was an heiress, a Lady and he was a welder living in a two bedroom flat. Oh well, he now had a brand new big fuck off green bike he was sure she'd like. His faint hope still flickered deep in his chest after all these years. He allowed himself his girlfriend fantasies. At least he was going to have one date with her.

The week had gone quicker than he'd expected. He had to make all the finance arrangements then go and collect the bike. After that, when he hadn't been working, he'd been messing around with the Kawasaki. He'd fiddled with the adjustable clutch, the suspension settings, the different power modes and all the toys on the bike he'd come to love already. It really was a sweet piece of machinery and although it was much heavier that his old bike, he was getting to enjoy the torquey engine and its deep rumble rather than the twitchy, screaming acceleration he'd had before.

Monday was his day off. He had to work Saturday mornings – which was shit if your mates were going out on a Friday night - but he got the whole of Monday off instead. On Monday morning he'd had bath. Normally he was a quick shower type of guy, but he felt having a bath, shaving, and carefully choosing socks that matched was making a big effort and this was a "big effort" kind of day. He felt he might only get one shot at this, so it had better count. The bike looked great, he'd had a good shave and with his new leather trousers and jacket he felt he was looking as good as he was ever going to. He'd toyed with the idea of wearing the "Team Green Kawasaki" T shirt they'd given him with the bike, but decided it was a bit naff and settled on the usual plain black instead. His boots had been cleaned the night before. He was ashamed to admit to himself he'd never actually cleaned them before, but he'd bought waterproofing polish in the bike shop and spent about two hours on Sunday night cleaning them and working the polish into the thick leather until they shone. He had also taken care to clean all the dead flies from his helmet and then polished it too. At least the helmet had been polished many times before. That was his pride and joy.

About a year before, he'd been at a motorbike show when one stand with hand painted bike helmets really caught his eye. Most of it had been the usual biker shit – busty girls, flames and shark teeth, but one had been of a dragon's head. The colours had been so vivid and the artwork so detailed that he'd initially intended to buy that. When the guy told him he could commission any design he wanted, of course, Gendry had to get a bull. He had to wait four weeks for the guy to paint it up and the cost had made his eyes water and his wallet bleed, but oh man, had it been worth it. The bull's horns curved right round the sides, with two charging bulls on either side of the helmet under the visor. Everyone commented on it and in the past few days he'd even toyed with the idea of getting his spare helmet painted with a wolf's head. He was sure Arya would _love _that, _if_ they got it together. Fantasising about her on the back of his bike, in the wolf's helmet (and nothing else) was another happy distraction that sped the week away. In the _real_ world, if he just showed up with it and presented it to her after not even having seen her for three years, she'd think he was a mad, bull headed stalker.

Since as far back as he could remember "Bull" had been his nickname. At work they called him "Bull", but regularly added "second name-shit". He played along, frequently making up some tall tale about what he'd been up to at the weekend with some made up girl, when he reality he'd spent another lonely weekend working on his bike, going for a run and watching T.V. But long before the guys at work had called him "Bull", everyone close to him had. Even Arya. He knew he was stubborn and as he got older he realised that was probably why he'd managed to achieve as much as he had. A bastard boy with no father, no money and no prospects, he had worked and worked hard to get the qualifications he needed, first as a mechanic, then as a blacksmith and finally as a welder, all the while taking every overtime shift that was going to earn extra money to either give to his mum or later pay for his bike. He knew that when he set his mind to it nothing would stop him from reaching his goal, but so far his goals had all been fairly realistic and, with a lot of hard graft, within his grasp. He had a gnawing feeling whenever he thought about Arya Stark that he might have set himself a goal this time that was simply too far out of his reach.

As he buckled his shining boots, zipped up his new jacket and fastened the strap of his precious bull helmet he felt as if he was getting ready to ride into battle. He started the big bike and pulled out onto the road to Winterfell, feeling all its power throbbing between his legs. It was now or never. Once he was out of the village he opened the throttle and listened to the engine sing beneath him. He flowed with the bike, leaning into every curve and crouching low behind the windscreen in the straights. This was the only time he felt _really_ alive, when every reaction heightened by power and speed, in perfect harmony with his bike.

Too soon he passed through the imposing gates, embellished with ferocious wolf's heads, and turned into the grounds of the stately home of the Stark family. He hadn't been back since his mum had died. The elation of the past week was quickly dissipating, turning to a knot of dread in his stomach. He hadn't expected coming back to affect him so much, but he suddenly felt so alone, so small in the world, even on his big bike, riding up the long, long drive to the imposing black bulk of Winterfell.

To begin with he only caught glimpses of it through the trees, but suddenly he was round the last bend and there it was. You might as well have called it a castle as that's what it looked like, without a moat or drawbridge, but huge, black and intimidating. It had various wings – extensions added by some previous rich Stark and most of them embellished with gargoyles and turrets. On a shining white flag pole, at the top of the tallest tower was the family flag of the crowned wolf, flying in the breeze.

The road forked here, left towards the front of the house or right to the back of the house – the servants' entrance. He hesitated for a moment and throttled back the bike. He had never been to the main entrance. He was twenty five, could call Robb and Jon friends and had never been to the front door. As a boy he had never thought twice about it and had automatically gone to the back of the house to meet Arya or one of the boys. Robb and Jon had never asked him up to the house since they were all teenagers, preferring instead to hang out at his mum's cottage, then his flat or meet him in the local pub. That had suited Gendry as he had no desire to go back to Winterfell. The estate grounds held too many memories of his late mother and the house itself too many memories of Arya and his childhood, memories he really didn't want to dredge up and examine. Another reason to avoid it was the risk of bumping into Lady Catelyn Stark – who he really didn't like. She had always made it clear she had no time for Gendry, as he was just some local bastard kid, but worse than that; she made it perfectly clear to _everyone_, even said local bastard kid, that she had no time for Jon. Gendry clenched his jaw, decision made. Now he was a grown man and the equal of any Stark. He pulled the bike to the left and gunned it down the main drive to the front of the house.


	5. Chapter 5

The tension continued to build in **Arya **as she waited nervously at one of the front windows for Gendry. Butterflies fluttered all around her insides and no matter how many times she told herself it was just a _first_ date and that _nothing_ was going to happen today, the butterflies just wouldn't settle down. Added to the sexual tension that had been steadily building in her while she was getting dressed up for him, she was a bit unsure of the motorbike thing. The only time she had been on a bike before was about ten years previously when Gendry had rescued an old trail bike from a scrap yard and spent months bringing it back to life. He'd given her a ride round a local field on it once. She remembered screaming a lot and being terrified her Dad would find out as neither of them had a helmet. But that old bike had been slow and she had been a wild child ten years ago. She hadn't been on a motorbike since and wasn't really sure of what the protocol was. Did she hang onto him? Was she dressed ok? What if it rained? What if she fell off and made a complete fool of herself? What if, what if, what if? She tried some deep breathing to calm herself while she checked herself out in a mirror for the hundredth time that morning.

Oh hurry up Gendry. Sansa and her Mum had been pestering her at breakfast, asking her if she wanted a game of tennis. It was a beautiful summer morning and normally the opportunity to smash a few balls at Sansa would have held a certain appeal, but she had just mumbled about going out later. She hadn't told either of them where she was going and didn't want to have to face The Stark Inquisition. Her Mother loved to meddle in her children's lives and could be such a snob (Sansa wasn't much better). Arya knew Gendry Waters on a motorbike wouldn't meet with her Mother's approval. Why hadn't she just said she'd meet him in the village? Too late now. She checked her phone for the umpteenth time. No messages, so he must still be coming. Any minute now she hoped.

At last she could see a shape on the drive in the distance. She checked her phone again. It was only two minutes past ten, so she was not going to be able to chastise him for being late. She yelled "Bye" at the top of her voice in case anyone one was around to hear and ran to the door. "Compose yourself Lady Arya" she muttered under her breath as she pulled open one half of the huge storm door and tried her best to walk nonchalantly down the steps.

He was just pulling up and she shivered with anticipation at the big throaty rumble coming from the bike. Even on the wide drive, the bike looked big: big and green. Strange choice of colour for a motorbike she thought, but the bike was just the appetiser, the main event was sitting astride it as he killed the engine. He was all in black leather and in the process of removing his shiny helmet as she reached the bottom of the steps and walked towards him. She could see he had a spare helmet for her hanging off one arm and the whole, bad boy on a motorbike, thing was like a bad girl's dream. She was going to be that bad girl.

Sitting on the bike he was the same height as her. When his helmet came off, first she noticed the sexy, messed up, thick black hair and then he looked up. His bright blue eyes locked onto hers, causing her to blush to the roots of her hair. She just couldn't hold his gaze and dropped her eyes to avoid the intensity of the emotions washing over her. Looking down didn't help much as she was now staring straight at his crotch, sheathed in black leather and straddled across the shiny, green petrol tank. There were white leather flashes up his thighs that just seemed to Arya to be channelling her vision right into his crotch – the _last _place she should be staring. Flushing even more, she looked up at him again and now his eyes were dancing, all creased at the edges, thick black eyebrows raised as he grinned back at her, flashing teeth as white and straight as those stripes on his thighs.

Come on Arya she told herself. _You_ are supposed to be seducing _him_, not falling at his feet. Get your act together.

Hoping she was using her most sophisticated voice she drawled, "Hi Gendry. _Love_ the bike". This time she held his gaze and she was delighted to see it was his turn to look flustered.

"Yeah, ermm, I only got it last week and I thought you might like a ride, seeing as how you used to like motorbikes."

Had she? He'd obviously remembered the one time she had been on the back of his bike before. For a horrible moment she thought he might have got her confused with someone else, some previous girlfriend who'd liked his motorbike. Pushing that unpleasant thought aside, she asked him where he was taking her.

A surprise he had said, still grinning at her, but then he'd run his eyes up and down her body and frowned. That was _not_ the reaction she had expected.

"Do you not have a proper jacket?" he asked "and gloves?"

She knew she was scowling at him. "What's wrong with my jacket?" It was _designer_ and this season! She'd only just bought it before she left London.

"Ermm, it's just a bit short. You'll get cold, that's all" he muttered.

"I don't have another jacket down here." she huffed "most of my stuff is still in London."

He sighed, "Show me your hand" while pulling off a gauntlet and raising the arm that wasn't holding both helmets. He splayed his fingers wide in front of her. She followed his lead, pressing her palm to his. The feeling was delicious. His palms were warm, wide and calloused, leading to thick, strong fingers. Arya had been told she had long, artistic fingers and, since becoming a girl-about-town, she'd kept them beautifully manicured. Even her long nails with their perfect French polish didn't bring her hands close to the size of Gendry's. She was enjoying the skin to skin contact so much, wondering what other part of him might also be thick and strong, that she was winced when he pulled his hand away.

"I've got leathers back at my flat that'll fit you, but I don't have any gloves that small. Could you at least find some gloves Arya?"

She pouted. Did he not remember how long it took to get back up to her room in Winterfell? She had ski gloves somewhere, but with the hike up to her room on the third floor and then the time it would take her to find them; he would have to hang around for at least twenty minutes. Twenty minutes too long as far as Arya was concerned. Twenty minutes in which one of the Starks would undoubtedly notice a big fuck-off green motorbike outside and come sniffing around to see what she was up to. Most likely Nosey Parker Sansa. Well, there was nothing else for it. He said she needed gloves, so she had to go and get them. She would just have to run as soon as she was out of his sight.

"You'd better come in then as it might take me a while to find gloves" she huffed, turned and marched back up the steps. She opened one half of the huge door again and pointed into the reception room on the right. "Can you wait in there and I'll be back as quickly as I can?"

Not waiting for his reply she walked as fast as she dared towards the great staircase and started up the stairs. At the first landing she looked back to see him disappear into the room.

Right, Arya, run!


	6. Chapter 6

**Gendry** watched Arya make for the stairs. Those skinny jeans she was wearing were making his cock twitch. Following her up the steps outside, watching that shapely arse sway in front of him would have made any man's cock ache. Those jeans really were skin tight and with the jacket cut high, way over her waist. With the high heeled boots, her long legs and that arse were being shown off beautifully. He tried to imagine what her arse would look like sitting on the pillion seat of his bike and how he was going to manage to get to the back of the bike to get a good view of it.

When he couldn't watch her climb the grand staircase to the second floor any longer without gawping, he reluctantly walked into the reception room. Winterfell was huge and he was sure he had never been into this room before. He sat the helmets on the two ornate chairs nearest the door and settled himself on the third chair, looking forward to a few quiet moments fantasising about Arya's arse. He stretched his legs out in front of him and rocked back on the chair, craning his neck to admire the fresco on the ceiling. He'd just had time to realise the writhing images above him depicted a huge wolf bringing down a stag when a very plumy voice shrieked "And what have we here?"

He bumped the front legs of the chair back onto the floor as quickly as he could and stood up to greet the Lady of the house. God, the years hadn't been kind to Catelyn Stark. She had way too much make-up on and her eyes were stretched like she'd had a bad facelift. Standing beside her, in a matching tennis skirt (that didn't flatter either of them) was Sansa Stark. What a "mini-me" she was turning out to be. The two of them had the same short, full figure, round faces and a bit of ginger about their hair. While Arya and Jon took after their father by being tall, dark and lean, Sansa, and to a lesser extent Robb, had inherited their mother's genes. Eddie Stark had always reminded Gendry of the actor Sean Bean. Right at that moment, Catelyn and Sansa just reminded him of The Queen. The two of them had a haughty air and certainly behaved as if they were The Queen. The fact that Catelyn had said "_What _have we here?" rather than "_Who_ have we here?" was not lost on Gendry. The stuck-up bitch was referring to him as an object rather than a man.

When he stood up he towered over both of them. He held out his hand to shake theirs, while saying as politely as he could manage through his gritted teeth "Gendry Waters your Ladyship."

After looking down her nose at his two helmets on her chairs and disdainfully casting her eyes over his bike boots, Catelyn took his hand with her own limp fingers. She only used her fingers to touch his hand, as if trying to minimise the contact she had to have with him. Sansa was a bit more enthusiastic with her hand shake, but he got the impression she was sizing him up for some job or other by the way she kept looking him up and down even when her mother was speaking.

"And what are you doing here Gendry Waters?" the Queen Bitch asked him. She didn't even have the manners to call him "Mr Waters". By using his full name she seemed to be implying she couldn't even remember him. How could she not remember he was the same Gendry that had taken her youngest daughter to school every day for years? Worse, his mother had worked for the Winterfell Estate her whole life, Eddie Stark had been at his mother's funeral with Jon and Robb and yet this stuck up cow was acting like she didn't know who he was.

"I am going out with Arya" he said through his gritted teeth while standing as straight and tall as he could. That wasn't strictly true. Yeah – he was taking her out today but he wasn't _going out_ with her. But he just couldn't help himself. The shock on that stuck up, stretched face was worth whatever price he was going to have to pay to Arya later for lying to her mother.

"Well, Arya never mentioned you to us, did she Sansa?" – Another, not very subtle, put-down from her Ladyship. Sansa agreed, adding "But we'll make sure we hear _all_ about it later though, won't we Mother?" as she continued to stare at him.

God, what a gruesome twosome, thought Gendry as he tried to keep the polite smile plastered on his face. What had Eddie Stark ever seen in this woman? Gendry just stood there awkwardly for what felt like ages, until Arya barrelled into the room and straight into Sansa, knocking her sideways and bouncing her off one of the display cabinets that lined the walls of the grand reception room.

"Arya Stark!" her mother shrieked. "Ladies do not run indoors and I expect you to act like a Lady!" Catelyn steadied Sansa while Arya and Gendry tried to stifle their laughter.

"Sorry Mother. We were just leaving." Arya managed to say sweetly, while picking up the black helmet and gesturing at Gendry to get his.

"Sansa, have you seen Gendry's new bike?" Arya asked innocently, while Sansa growled "No and I don't want too" in a most un-ladylike fashion.

"Well, we better get going" Arya said as she and Gendry walked out the door. She couldn't resist shouting back over her shoulder "And don't wait up!"


	7. Chapter 7

When they were both back at the bike, **Arya **said "I just love winding Sansa up. I hope you don't mind?"

He grinned back at her and said "I hope _you _don't mind, but I told your Mum that we were _going out_ with each other". Her eyes widened in surprise and he quickly added "I know it's a lie, but it was worth it just to see the look on their faces. I hope you're not too angry with me?"

How could she be? He was too damned sexy to be angry with. His thick, black hair was still all tousled giving him a boyish, just out of bed look and he kept pushing it off his face with those big strong hands. That, together with the dancing blue eyes and the leather suit could make her forgive him anything today.

"Of course not you big, stupid Bull" she replied and punched his shoulder playfully with her fist. It had just come back to her automatically. That's what she'd used to call him when they were kids and then she would punch his shoulder. He looked relieved that she wasn't mad at him for lying to her mother and he seemed not to mind her punching him.

"Look! I got my gloves. I hope these are acceptable to you _Sir _Gendry" she laughed. Again it had just come out of her mouth - she used to call him "Sir Gendry" to annoy him and he'd called her "Milady" which wound her up even more.

Sure enough, he was quick to reply "Milady's gloves are _most_ acceptable" which warranted another punch to his shoulder.

"Right Milady, helmets on and then gloves" Gendry laughed. He fastened his helmet quickly but Arya was still fumbling with the chin strap on hers when he had already got his gloves on, had swung his leg over the bike and was sitting waiting on her.

"I can't see what I'm doing" she wailed. He pulled his gloves off again and leaned over to help her with the chin strap. His fingers were sure and steady, pulling the strap into place and fastening it with deft fingers. His visor was up and as his attention was focused on her neck, she had a chance to study those long dark eyelashes and then, finally, she noticed the bull horns painted on his helmet. The art work really was superb, making the horns look like they were in 3D.

"Wow, that's a fantastic helmet" she gasped, her voice now muffled by her own helmet. "It's just so, so… _you, _you good looking, big Bull." She added.

When he looked up at her, all of his gorgeous face, except those blue, laughing eyes was concealed by the helmet. His eyes were all she needed to see to know he'd appreciated the complement. Arya smiled to herself. Men were all so _simple_. Flatter their egos and they fell for it every time. Gendry _was_ a good looking big bastard, so there was no need to lie. Arya knew a woman could tell any man, no matter how ugly, she thought he was handsome and he would believe her. Women were just so much savvier. Yes! I am going to have you Gendry Waters she smirked to herself.

"Right Arya Stark, time to get your leg over!" he ordered. He had rocked the bike off the centre stand and his feet were planted firmly on either side of the bike. The pillion seat was quite a bit higher than his seat and she regretted wearing those skin tight, skinny jeans as she tried to lift her left leg over the back of the bike. The jeans just wouldn't allow her to stretch her leg high enough.

"I can't" she wailed again.

"Well, try and stand on the foot peg and swing your other leg over" Gendry suggested in a muffled voice. It took two attempts, but she finally managed to settle her bottom on the pillion seat and both feet on the pegs.

"Now hold on tight to the grab rail at the back of your seat" his muffled voice ordered. As the bulky ski gloves made it extremely difficult for her to feel anything, it was a few moments before she could nod to confirm she had done it.

"Hold tight and lean _into_ the curves" he shouted as he started the bike up with a big, throaty rumble. She felt the thud, thud of the engine travel through the bike and up her thighs. So much for getting to hold onto _him_, she thought ruefully, as they set off slowly down the drive. She wanted to look up at Winterfell to see if Sansa was watching them, but felt that she was balanced rather precariously on the back of the bike and to turn round might be enough to topple her off.

He still had his visor up and after a few hundred meters; he turned round and shouted "All right?" at her. As her visor was firmly down and as she wasn't about to risk taking a hand off the grab rail to open it, all she could do was nod at him. He obviously got the message as he opened up the throttle and the bike jumped forward. Arya was taken by surprise at the acceleration and was jerked backwards as the bike pulled in the opposite direction. Just as she was getting used to the speed, he braked at the junction with the main road. She head butted him right between the shoulder blades as her body jerked forward this time. He turned round and asked her if she was ok, and miserably she nodded. This was harder than she'd expected. Already her arms were beginning to ache from holding on so tightly behind her and they hadn't even made it out of the Estate yet.

Gendry accelerated smoothly out onto the main road, toward the village and his flat. Arya couldn't see where they were going. If she tried to stick her head out from behind his shoulder, the wind hit her helmet, pushing her neck back and making her even more uncomfortable. She didn't like the lack of control either. She was stuck back here, hanging on for her life, without being able to see the road ahead. When they came to the first bend, she forgot he'd told her to lean into the curve. As Gendry eased the bike over, her instinct was to lean as far as she could in the opposite direction. By the time they reached the next bend, she had remembered what he'd said about leaning _into_ the bend but she just couldn't do it. She felt she might fall off the side of the bike if she leaned over too far.

The next time he braked, she managed to avoid head butting him, but as she wasn't holding on tightly enough to the grab rail, she slid down the bike seat and bumped into his arse. While that wasn't too bad, trying to wriggle herself back up the pillion seat into the correct position while he was doing God-knows-what –speed proved to be pretty difficult and put more strain on her poor arms.

He had been right about her being cold. Although it was a sunny summer morning, as the bike cut through the air, her ankles, back, neck and any other part of her not fully covered was exposed to the wind. They had only been riding for about ten minutes and already her lower back, particularly, was becoming pretty cold and uncomfortable.

Just as she had decided this was no fun and she didn't want to go any further than his flat on his bloody bike, he pulled over and let the bike glide to a stop in a lay-by. Both of his feet went down to steady the bike while he turned round and pushed his visor up. Looking into her eyes, he squeezed her knee reassuringly. He had obviously realised she was having problems.

"Try holding onto me and you might feel less uncomfortable" he said, with his big hand still on her knee.

"Ok" she nodded and wriggled down the seat until the inside of her thighs touched the outside of his and her crotch was nestled behind his arse. It was such a relief to untangle her fingers from that bloody grab rail and put her arms round his waist. She rested her helmet and head on his shoulder and instantly felt better.

He turned round, started the bike again and this time she moved into the corners with him, enjoying the feeling through her thighs and arms as he shifted his body with the bike, taking her with him. It didn't bother her now that she couldn't see where she was going. Holding onto him and being so close to him was all she wanted to think about.


	8. Chapter 8

Gendry was surprised by how awful a pillion passenger Arya was. What had happened to her? The old Arya would have had no difficulty leaping on the back of a bike and had always been game for anything. He vividly remembered his old dirt bike and the fun they had without even so much as a helmet between them. Is this happens when you go off to London and became a Lady? Sure, he liked the physical changes that had taken place in the last three years, but at what expense? He was sure the old Arya would have been mortified he had to pull over and ask her to hold onto him, for fear she was going to make him crash with all her wriggling and bumping. Honestly, it had been like having a bag of angry ferrets behind him.

She had looked miserable in that lay-by, but things had definitely improved after he'd told her to just hang on to him. She was now stuck to him like a limpet. He didn't mind. It might hamper his riding and make it harder to breathe when she really squeezed him on the bends, but it was fucking amazing to feel her against him.

Soon they were at his flat. A local builder had bought some disused land and named the small development after the original use of the site – 'The Forge'. He had to move out of his home after his Mum died as the cottage was for the use of the manageress of the local pub. As her employer, Lord Stark had tried to help Gendry as much as he could. He had come to see Gendry in the cottage as soon as he heard the news, paid for the funeral and offered him another six months lease on the cottage.

At the funeral he had taken Gendry aside and given him a cheque for £30,000. Gendry had been dumfounded and protested that he didn't want to accept charity. Eddie Stark had gently explained to him that, had his mother reached retirement age, she would have been entitled to the money and Gendry was only getting what his mother should have. So Gendry had taken the cheque and would never forget how Lord Stark had helped him at the worst time in his life. Gendry knew his mother had never paid into a pension plan and he had never heard of any of the other Winterfell employees getting a pension, but he wasn't in a position to argue. His mother hadn't left any money and without that gift, he would have been in dire straights. If Robb and Jon knew about the cheque they never mentioned it, but Gendry would never forget that kindness. His mother never had any money and that gift was the only reason he'd been able to afford the deposit on the flat. The week after her funeral Gendry had gone to the bank with Eddie Stark's cheque, applied for a mortgage and moved into the new flat six weeks later. He just couldn't stand the cottage without his mother there and had to move on and out as quickly as possible.

His mother had never owned a house, although she'd often talked about maybe being able to buy her own place someday. Gendry knew his mother would have been so proud to have seen him in his own flat. For months after he moved in, still even now if he was being honest, he would find himself wanting to tell her what he'd done to it, or about the latest thing he'd bought for it. He often thought of her when he vacuumed or did his chores. All those years he'd lived with her he had hardly lifted a finger to help her around the house while she was always tidying and cooking and running around after him. Now he didn't have her, he felt keeping his flat clean and tidy was his way of saying, "Sorry Mum. I wish I'd helped you more and now I'll show you I can do it." So, a two bed flat might not be what Lady Arya was used to, but it was _his_ and he was keen to show it to her.

He held the communal entry door open for Arya as they walked in. He always held a door open for a lady and Arya was certainly that. There was also another motive for his chivalry - he wanted to make sure he was behind her again as she walked up the stairs. Yep, that swaying arse had the same effect on his cock as it had on the Winterfell stairs an hour before.

When he opened the door to his own flat he watched her face carefully, waiting for her reaction. He desperately wanted her to like it and to feel at home. Robb and Jon certainly liked coming here as that his spare room of his had seen more action than Jason Statham. He was relieved to see her smile and hear her compliment him on the pictures all over the walls. They were mostly bike related or photos he had taken, but they were all professionally framed. Through a mate, he had been asked to do some fabrication and welding work for the local gallery's display stands and, rather than paying him, they had come to an agreement to mount and frame his pictures in exchange.

"Phew". He thought as her beautiful face lit up in a smile and he let himself relax a bit. Another hurdle crossed.

"Right, come on and lets see what I've got that'll fit you".

She followed him into the spare room. He kept his bike stuff in there and he had a pair of leather salopettes he was sure would do. He had bought them by mail order a few years ago and, even with the braces fully extended, they had always been a bit too tight and short for him. For the first time he didn't curse himself for not sending them back. He held them up in front of her.

"If I shorten the braces as much as possible I reckon these will fit ok. At least you'll be warm and it's a lot more protection if you fall off." From the look on her face, she didn't want to hear anymore about falling off. He also pulled out an old leather jacket.

"I think this might be too big, but try it anyway and see if it's better than your own, ermm, jacket".

She was standing with her hand on one hip pouting at him. God, what a sexy mouth she had. Did she know he just wanted to peel her out of those jeans here and now, throw her on that bed and fuck until she came screaming? Better get out of there Gendry and adjust your crotch before you embarrass yourself with a trouser tent.

"Right, I'll just leave you to get on with it shall I?" and he tried to get out the bedroom, which meant he had to squeeze past her, round the edge of the bed. As there wasn't much space, their bodies touched as he manoeuvred past her. The briefest touch was enough to give him an instant hard-on. God, what was she doing to him? She didn't move away, in fact perhaps she might even have arched her back a bit, sticking her hips out further, just to make it harder for him to get past her. "Harder" was the right word. Trouser tent erect, he cursed himself for being so easily aroused as he escaped out the door.


	9. Chapter 9

Arya was getting quite a thrill from being in Gendry's bedroom. Alright, his _spare_ bedroom, but nearly there!

After she'd wriggled out of the skinny jeans and designer jacket she had a sneaky look around. She was wearing just her pants and silk vest and was secretly hoping he would walk back in and catch her going through his wardrobe in her underwear. The green and black (what _was_ it with him and green?) leather racing suit hanging in the wardrobe was a definite addition for her "to do list". Hmm, Gendry in that, Gendry unzipping that, Gendry half way out of that so she could run her hands over his chest and abs and those arms, hmmm.

She had noticed her pants were pretty moist when she'd taken her jeans off so what on earth were they going to be like by the end of the date? Sopping wet at this rate. The other half of the wardrobe wasn't as interesting, so she moved to the head of the bed and opened the top bedside drawer.

Oh my God! Three boxes of condoms, a box of tissues and some lube. She was shocked and shut the drawer quickly. Her heart was hammering in her chest. Was she really shocked or was she thrilled? She felt a tightening in her belly and a flutter of anticipation. So this is where it happened in Gendry's flat. Was she going to loose her virginity in this room, on this bed? Oh God she hoped so. She hoped he would walk in right now and just _do_ it to her.

He seemed to be affected by the same sexual tension that was making her pants wet. She'd noticed the bulge in his trousers as he'd squeezed past her, but how did she move this on to the next stage? How did she make _it _happen? Her plan to seducehim only went so far. Oh, she knew how to flirt, but she had no idea how she was going to seal the deal. Everyone at University just seemed to fall into bed with everyone else without anything really discernable happening. She had often thought there was some code she was missing, some secret she hadn't been told. Her male friends used to tell her that a hot girl could get laid anywhere, anytime she wanted. Arya thought that was a pretty sick joke. She couldn't get rid of it and was still a virgin at _twenty!_ The most fuckably handsome guy she'd ever met was in the next room and she didn't know what to do about it. How did she get to be so _pathetic?_

Sighing, she sat down on the bed and began to unfasten the braces on his salopettes. They had a very high waist and, from her experience on the bike this morning, she guessed that was to cover your back and stop you freezing to death. The leather was thick and hard to manage. As she tugged the buckles out of the longest fastenings to move them into the shortest, the leather creaked and gave off a wonderfully familiar smell. Maybe it was just because her nerves were jangling and every sense was heightened, but the warm leather smell took her straight back to her childhood and memories of new saddles, the stables and riding with Sansa and her brothers. She sighed again. She hadn't realised until she came back just how much she had missed them all, missed Winterfell and missed the countryside. London was her future wasn't it? It was sophisticated and exciting but was it home?

The legs of the salopettes were easy to get on, but once she got to her bottom, things got a bit tighter. The leather was corrugated at the sides, to allow for movement, but as she tugged the trousers over her hips she realised she was still going to have trouble zipping them up. They were pretty tight over her arse. How had that happened? When did her arse get bigger than Gendry's? She looked over her shoulder into the mirrored door of the wardrobe to see how big her bum looked and was horrified. With no pockets to break up the expanse of shiny leather it looked _massive_! Argh! What could she do? Nothing. Her only other option was to put her jeans back on and go out there and freeze. Well, if it was good enough for Jennifer Lopez it was going to have to be good enough for her. Maybe Gendry like big arses she hoped weakly.

Next she had to get it zipped up the front. At the shortest fastening, the braces were still a bit loose over her shoulders, but her shoulders weren't the problem. They must have been designed to sit about six inches above Gendry's waist, but that was just where Arya's breasts were. She just couldn't get the two halves of the leather to meet. Wearing a bloody wonder bra, with the padding pulling her breasts together, giving her that deep cleavage she'd hoped to show off wasn't helping either. Shit. She lay down on the bed and tried to pull the zip up. She got it past her hips without too much effort, but she had to squash her chest with one hand while trying to manoeuvre the zip up with the other, all the while risking the silk of the thermal vest, already stretched tight across her breasts, getting caught in the zip. With a lot of pulling and squeezing she finally she managed it and sat up on the bed, feeling as if she was trussed into a corset.

She shrugged the jacket on, which was way too big, but as the style was quite short it didn't sit too far below her waist. It would do if she rolled back the sleeves a bit. It was warm and well worn, smelling deliciously of oil and aftershave. This was obviously _his _jacket and she got another little thrill from hugging it to her chest and thinking how damn hot it was to be wearing _his_ clothes. God her pants were going to be wringing.

She pulled on her high heeled ankle boots and looked in the mirror. The bottom half was ok (if you liked big arses), the top half was ok, in a boyfriend jacket type of way, but her face surprised her. She was flushed and her pupils were dilated. So this was what being so turned on did to her. She liked it.

Her normally 'straightened-to-within-an-inch-of-it's-life' hair was flat on top due to the helmet, but wild and wavy where it had been sticking out, blowing in the wind. She tried to run her fingers through it to flatten it, but it was too tangled for her to even manage that. God, she hoped Gendry liked fat arses _and _80's style hair.

Right Ayra she told herself, this is your big moment. If you've got it, flaunt it and work that arse!

As his jacket hid her shape, she took it off again, swung it over her shoulder and sashayed out of the bedroom, along the small hall and into the kitchen where her target was perched on a stool at the breakfast bar. Working the kitchen like it was a catwalk, she locked her eyes on his, strode up to him, turned round, bent over until she was almost touching her ankles and purred "Do you think my arse looks big in this?" she gave him a wiggle for extra effect.

Her hair had fallen down around her face obscuring her view of him. As she couldn't see what his reaction was, she paused for a few moments, hoping her show was having the desired effect, straightened up and turned round to look at him over her shoulder.

Yes! She got the reaction she was hoping for. His mouth was slack, his blue eyes heavy with lust as he eyed her up and down and round. He ran his hand through that, messed up sexy hair, shut his mouth, but then added to her triumph by licking his bottom lip.

She wanted it. She was now damn sure _he _wanted it, so when was he going to make his move? She couldn't have been more blatant about it. She was practically _begging _him for sex. Was this not what men wanted? Come on Gendry – _say something_!

She hadn't planned her next move – she'd not thought she'd be in his flat so soon, hadn't intended to do anything other than to walk out of his bedroom and show herself off. While she was watching him stare at her, his eyes flicked to something behind her, over her left shoulder. She watched his face change in an instant from blatant lust, to something like panic. What was behind her? He was already moving, trying to slide past her, but he was so damn big and the kitchen wasn't, that he couldn't get around her easily. She seized the opportunity to move first. She was much smaller and quicker than him. She squealed with laughter, knowing she'd caught him, whirled around and across the room, scanning the area she guessed had been behind her left shoulder moments before. When her eyes swept over the simple wooden frame holding the photograph of two figures, she knew she'd found her prize and would get to it before him.

Moments later he had already grabbed the picture back off her, but it was already too late. She'd seen it and it had brought her crashing down to earth - left her wanting to crawl out the door. How could she have been so stupid?

She'd forgotten everything about the damn picture until she'd seen it again just now. It had been taken on perhaps the last day she'd seen him before she left for University. For months that spring she had badgered her parents into holding a festival in the Winterfell grounds. Eventually they had reluctantly agreed and she alone had managed to get Gendry's favourite local metal band to appear. She had been _so_ proud of herself, thought she was _so_ grown up and sophisticated, thought he'd have been impressed and grateful to her for bringing him his band. But here was the truth, the cold hard truth, staring back at her from an old photograph in a plain wooden frame.

In the picture Gendry was right beside her, staring straight into the camera, looking so cool in a smouldering, sulky way. God, he had on the leather jacket she was wearing just now. She remembered she had been looking for him since the festival had begun, expecting him to be looking for her too, to thank her for booking his favourite band. When she'd eventually found him, sitting on the grass drinking with her brothers, she'd actually had to drag him up onto his feet to get her picture taken with him. Arya had ordered one of her brothers to take it. Which one, Jon or Robb, she couldn't remember and it didn't matter now as whichever one it was had done a great job of capturing the God-awful moment for ever: now coming back like a ghost from three years past to kick her in the teeth.

In the picture she was still holding his wrist, from where she'd pulled him to his feet. She was hanging on like a limpet after forced his arm around her shoulder. Her hair was so short it wasn't even managing to be spikey like she'd intended. Hadn't she been the height of Glastonbury cool when she'd cut off a pair of jeans into denim shorts? She could see now what a state they were. She could see where she'd cut them, one leg was shorter than the other and they weren't even cut straight across. Oh dear God - was that a camel toe? Argh! But the worst thing, the absolute worst thing, the killer blow, was the way she was staring up at him. She was simpering, with a pathetic love struck look of awe on her face. She could practically see the drool running down her chin. That was SO not how she remembered it. She'd hated boys – hadn't she? Dirty, smelly, pains in the arse and Gendry was the worst of them all – wasn't he? He had ignored her and she had ignored him hadn't she? She must have been delusional. How could she ever have thought she disliked him? She was struggling to come to terms with what she was seeing. Seeing properly for the first time. Her face, her entire body language in the photo was screaming the opposite of what she'd been telling herself for years. She looked like a pathetic teenage fan girl who'd just realised her life times ambition of getting THIS close to her pop idol and wasn't intending to let go. Ever.

She wanted to crawl under a rock or even his breakfast bar, but then he'd still be able to see her. She knew she was flushed scarlet. Her hot, sexy woman act was in tatters, her humiliation complete. How could she _ever_ have thought she could get away with this with HIM? He must be having a right laugh at her now, must have been laughing at her since the doctors. Was that why he'd winked at her? He knew what she was up to, the game she'd been trying to play with him. Look at her! _Lady_ Arya Stark, showing up, strutting around acting like she could snap her fingers and he'd come running, when, in truth, it was the other way round. All he had to do was snap _his _fingers, turn up on a big fuck-off motorbike and she'd come running, throwing herself at him _again_.

Dear God, all he had to say was "Give us your number then" in front of umpteen people in the fucking doctor's surgery and she'd not even had the good sense to give him her number – _she'd taken his!_ She had thought she was going to seduce him, but she was just a pathetic little virgin throwing herself at him like all the rest. No doubt he had that effect on every girl he ever met. He was so good looking he must have to beat them off with a shitty stick. Why would he ever want her when he could have anyone?

He'd kept that picture of her mooning over him. God, he must have shown it to everyone who was ever in his flat. Was she the talk of the village? Poor Arya Stark and her unrequited love for that handsome big bastard Gendry Waters. He already had the proof, had it in his hand right now, that she was a pathetic little girl who was in love with him - had always been in love with him. Trailed after him and hung onto him like a wet blanket. No wonder he had avoided her for years. Shit! Shit! Shit!


	10. Chapter 10

Arya was scarlet. Gendry knew his face was as red as a furnace and he was sweating as if he was standing in front of one. Why had he looked at that bloody photo? She'd never have noticed if he hadn't looked at it, panicked and thought he'd try and hide it before she saw it. Did she know? How could she know you idiot? Pull yourself together.

How could she possibly know about the nights you sat, bored and lonely in front of that television, trying not to, but then getting up to take her picture down from the shelf and sit and stare at it. That was his favourite picture of her. While he just looked like the usual stupid lump staring straight at the camera, she was laughing, her head thrown back, gazing up at him, pushing herself into his side and grabbing his arm. How many nights had he stared at that picture and particularly at that wonderful "W" shape at the top of her legs? How many nights had he had reached into his pants to have a wank, eyes fixed on her and imagined she was there in his room wearing those cut off jeans, kneeling in front of him and staring up at him again with those big grey eyes?

He knew that if he didn't do something now, he was going to blow it. Hell, he'd just got into debt to buy that bike for her and he couldn't let her leave now. He tried to smile, but his face wasn't working right. He opened his mouth and closed it again.

Say something you stupid bastard.

"Arya, I'm sorry, I didn't mean you to see that." That was it? That was the best he could come up with?

She looked up him with those big, grey eyes. Looking like they were going to cry. Shit. Was she going to run out the door? Did he have to get down on his knees, grab her hands and beg her to stay? She now knew the sorry truth - he was still obsessed with her after three years. Maybe he'd scare her off if he moved closer, so he didn't do anything. He just stood there, his jaw clenching and unclenching, her picture still in his hand.

"I'm sorry" she said. "I didn't realise, I had no idea". She wasn't looking at him now, just at the floor and crossing her arms over her chest, hugging herself. What was going on? He hated this uncertainty with women. Arya used to be so straight forward when she was a girl and that was what he'd imagined she'd still be like. He gritted his teeth. You just never knew with women though, never knew what they were goddamn thinking.

As soon she saw the bloody photo he thought she'd react by laughing at him, call him a sad sap: tease him for being stupid enough to ask Jon for a copy, get it framed and keep it for years. He had not wanted her to do that. He was just a bastard boy with a bike but he desperately wanted her to see him as a man now, a partner, a lover - an equal. Deep down he knew he'd never really be her equal - he'd never be "Lord Gendry Waters" would he? But for the last week he'd believed he had a shot, fantasised about the two of them being together, shagging all summer long and now that dream was slipping away from him.

He thought he'd been on the right track when she had agreed to go out with him today and that they'd been getting on really well. Hadn't they? He'd thought she _must_ have fancied him when she turned round, bent over and wiggled her arse in those fucking leather trousers. Why else would she do that? Why tease him five minutes previously and now not even bear to look at him? If she had cried with laughter at him- called him "a pathetic bastard" and punched his shoulder -he could have coped with that. He would have accepted that. He would love her to punch him as hard as she could, like she used to. Instead what he got was just too weird. _She_ was sorry? Knowing she had such an effect on him, that the only fucking picture of a girl in his flat was of her - what was _she _sorry about? Instead of laughing at him she was nearly crying, had put up the barrier of the crossed arms and wouldn't look at him. What the fuck was going on?

"What have you got to be sorry for Arya?"

But she didn't answer. She just stood with her shoulders hunched, head down and her face hidden by a curtain of falling golden hair.

He really had no idea what else to say, so he pulled her in to him, kissing the top of her hair in what he hoped was a non threatening, brotherly sort of way. She was shivering or trembling against him, but he was too unsure of her now to guess what she wanted him to do. All he could think of was to ignore the last five minutes. Pretend they had never happened.

He took a deep breath then muttered, as casually as he could, "Come on, it's eleven thirty and we haven't even got going yet". He found her hand and just pulled her with him out of the door.


	11. Chapter 11

Gendry had intended to take Arya to Harrenhal Castle before going to see **Hot Pie** at the pub for a late lunch. However, after the photo fiasco, he was worried that she still might not be talking to him and wandering round the castle with a silent Arya would be a disaster. So he changed his plan and decided to take her to see Hot Pie first. If anyone could shake Arya out of her sulk, or whatever the hell it was, then it would be Hot Pie.

Gendry had phoned Hot Pie to make sure he was going to be at the pub on Monday only to be told by an indignant Hot Pie that he was always in – 24/7. Hot Pie was dedicated to his job, in fact was the only person Gendry knew who really _loved_ his job. As he lived above the pub, if he wasn't actually working, he wouldn't be far away.

Hot Pie had been brought in by the Brewery to turn an old, run down pub on the outskirts of Harrenhal into one of those ubiquitous Gastro Pubs. What a success Hot Pie had made of it. "The Kneeling Man" was regularly named as one of the best places to eat in Westreros and Hot Pie himself had become something of a local celebrity. He had arranged for the Brewers to sponsor various "Is your pie as good as a Hot Pie?" competitions, and there was now a "Hot Pie" bake off at every local fete or agricultural show. The man himself was always delighted to be chief judge and as his personality was as big as his waist band, every event was always a roaring success. Yes, if anyone could get this day back on track it was Hot Pie.

The bike ride to Harrenhal had been uneventful. Arya held onto him, but not in the desperate way she had before. Maybe she was getting used to the rhythms of the bike, but he thought it more likely that she didn't want to hold him they way she had before. No longer was her head buried into his back, her arms squeezing him or those thighs trying to weld themselves around his arse. A few times when they stopped at traffic lights he'd reached back to squeeze her knee, but there was no responsive wriggle behind him as there had been before. He couldn't stop cursing himself for being such a stupid, sappy bastard.

Even though it was a Monday, the car park of The Kneeling Man was pretty busy. Gendry parked the bike up. Arya still couldn't get her own helmet on and off, so he helped her unbuckle it, but kept his visor down. He was too wary to look her in the eye, but through his tinted visor he thought she didn't look like she was angry with him, just kind of sad and distant.

He still hadn't told her where they were going. Although she would have guessed by now they were going to Harrenhal Castle, she would have no idea they were meeting Hot Pie. He hoped it would still be a great surprise.

"I know it's a bit early for lunch, but as we were so late leaving I though it might be better to stop here first and do the Castle afterwards." She just nodded and gave him a weak smile. Shit, this was going to be torture if she didn't lighten up.

"Let's sit outside. There's a beer garden around the back".

They found a picnic type table and sat down on opposite sides, with their helmets and gloves discarded between them. As usual, his cock was twitching as he looked across at her. Her hair was wild and shining in the sun. Her mouth was a hot red cave that he wanted to explore. As she took of her jacket he got an eye-full of her slender arms and the tops of her tits, all pushed up in black silk. She was just so hot, he had to have her. But how to sort this mess out? How could he get her back to the "Does my arse look big in this" cheeky bitch Arya he wanted so much?

He didn't have time to come up with an answer as, within minutes, a cheery waitress came over to bring them menus, tell them the specials (they all seemed to be various types of pie) and to take their drinks order. He asked for a pint of coke, but Arya didn't lift her eyes off the menu as she asked for "A large P.G". The waitress looked at Gendry quizzically. He shrugged. He didn't know what she was asking for either. The waitress said "Sorry, my love, I didn't catch that?" Arya still didn't lift her head, but repeated "A large P.G." The waitress exchanged glances with him again. He decided he had to intervene.

"Arya, neither of us know what a "P.G." is."

"For God's sake. Do you country bumpkins know nothing? It's Pinot Grigio. The grape. The _white_ wine. _Everyone_ drinks it in London." She huffed.

Gendry was taken aback by Arya's rudeness. The poor waitress flushed as she mumbled an apology and headed back to the pub.

"I can't believe what I just heard Arya." His brows were down, teeth gritted.

"That was so rude! Just because we don't live in _fucking_ London doesn't mean you have right to speak to _us_ like that _Milady._" He was livid and stood up to leave. She finally looked at him with panic in her eyes.

"Where are you going?"

"Off to the bar to apologize to that waitress before she spits in our drinks". He glared at her and stalked off.

-o-

Arya crumpled. She'd fucked up again. She couldn't remember ever seeing Gendry that angry. Stubborn and immovable yes, but he'd never shouted at her. She felt tears welling in her eyes. Maybe she had been away from Westeros too long. She spoke to people in London like that all the time and nobody shouted at her for it. Maybe she only belonged in London now. What a God awful mess she was making of this.

"Arry Stark – long time no see!" she heard someone yelling at her. She turned round to see Hot Pie waddling towards her across the grass, as fast as he could without breaking into a trot. He had his arms open wide and his big red face was beaming with delight. She stood up and flung herself at him.

"Oh H.P ! I am so glad to see you." She wrapped her arms around his podgy shoulders and buried her head in his warm neck. He smelled of soup and roast meat and sweet cakes, all at the same time. Just when she needed to see a friendly face and get a reassuring hug, there he was. It had been three years since she had seen him, but it was as if they'd never been apart. He hadn't changed at all - was still so jolly and welcoming and familiar. She felt the tears welling in her eyes again as she hugged him.

"How did you know I was here?"

"Oh Gendry phoned me last week and told me he would be bringing you. Did he not tell you?" Hot Pie asked puzzled. Arya shook her head.

"He said it was a surprise and oh, H.P - this is a fantastic surprise."

She was still hugging him when Gendry stomped back out into the beer garden with their drinks. Hot Pie grinned and winked at him over Arya's shoulder as if to say – "Look at me mate! Look what I'm getting."

Gendry scowled and felt a sudden pang of jealousy tighten his chest. He hadn't got a hug like that off Arya yet, and the way this bloody day was going he wouldn't be getting one anytime soon.

The three of them sat down at the table and Gendry listened as Arya and Hot Pie excitedly brought each other up to date on their adventures over the last three years. Hot Pie's news was all about the two pubs he'd managed successfully before taking over The Kneeling Man and how this was his greatest success yet. He told Arya he'd won the Westeros 'Best Gastro Pub' award last year and was aiming for a National award this year; how he loved his job and was making the best pies of his life.

Arya was full of chat about London and all the friends she'd made there. As Gendry listened, he felt it was all a bit forced, and that although Arya kept repeating how happy she was in London, her eyes and face didn't match her words.

Hot Pie made her promise to keep in touch and to bring her brothers to the pub over the summer.

Finally, Hot Pie had to go back to the kitchen. He hugged Arya, kissed her cheek this time and winked again at Gendry over her shoulder as he gave her another bear hug goodbye. He shouted over his shoulder as left,

"Arya - you're on the house! Gendry - you're paying full price" and waddled off laughing as Gendry jokingly gave him a two finger salute.

Smiley Arya was back and she happily chatted with Gendry about Hot Pie and some other people from school like Lommy and that bully Weasel. Arya hadn't kept in touch with anyone, but Gendry could tell her what most of the ones still living in Winterfell village were up to. The time passed happily enough and when their meal came, they both agreed the pies really were the best they had ever tasted.


	12. Chapter 12

Seeing Hot Pie again, combined with the large glass of wine (she was sure it been Chardonnay and not the Pinot Grigio she'd asked for) had made Arya relaxed and happy. There was no place she'd rather be than sitting in the sun just now with Gendry.

"So are you ready to go see Harrenhal Castle?" he asked her.

"Hmm, has it changed much since the last time we were there?"

Gendry snorted. "I doubt it, seeing as it's been the same for three hundred years, but I haven't been there since school either. I just thought it would be fun for us to go back."

Arya smiled. Yes, happy memories. Every year the school summer trip before the end of term had been to Harrenhal Castle. No-one had minded going to the same place every year as, after the usual educational bit, where they all had to traipse round after the teachers and hear _again _about Lady Whent_, _they were allowed to explore the castle themselves until the bus arrived to take them back to school. Of course, Arya had always gone with Gendry and the two of them had pretended they were fierce knights slaying dragons in the cool, dark corridors of the castle.

She particularly remembered the time she had bought a Princess hat with a purple chiffon veil for Sansa in the Castle shop and had also bought a wooden sword for Gendry (he never any money). Gendry had made her put the stupid hat on and knelt before her swearing to fight to the death to protect her. Arya hadn't wanted to pretend to be a princess and had called him 'stupid' for kneeling, but the memory made her smile now. She wondered if she dared to remind him of it.

He asked her what she was smiling about.

"Nothing."

"Well I won't ask _Milady_ again." He harrumphed. "So do you want to go to the Castle or not?"

"Yeah, but some other time. I am just really enjoying sitting here in the sun with you." He looked surprised, then pleased at her answer.

"Ok then. Do you want a coffee or dessert?"

"Could I have another glass of wine?" His face darkened and his brows came down.

"Any wine will do" she said hurriedly. She didn't want a repeat of the 'incident' with the waitress earlier.

"No" His mouth was set in a hard line.

"Why not?" She was indignant. Why was he saying 'No' to her? _Nobody_ ever said no to her.

"Cos I don't want a drunk on the back of my bike." He glared at her.

"I am not drunk" she yelped.

"No, but you will be if you have another of those large glasses of wine. There's a _third_ of a bottle in each glass Arya and it's only lunchtime."

He was scolding her like a little girl. Giving her a lecture! She could argue, but she knew now there were other ways to get what she wanted. She decided to change tack.

"But its five o'clock somewhere and it's so nice, just sitting here with you. I feel so relaxed. _Please?_" She looked up at him with what she hoped were puppy dog eyes. She was shocked when he said "No" with as much determination as before.

Stupid bull headed boy. How dare he tell her what she could drink! She opened her mouth to yell at him, but thought better of it when she saw the steely look in his eyes and the tension in his shoulders. This was an argument she wasn't going to win. So she shut her mouth before asking meekly

"Coffee then?" She watched his shoulders relax but he still growled

"Sure, but don't start with your fucking London skinny, soya latte shit. Do you want it black or white?"

"White" she said softly. Ohhh this was new. Gendry being so bossy. He was _even more_ attractive when he was angry. She decided she liked it.

She watched him extract his leather clad legs and boots from the picnic table and stomp off. As she watched him go, she couldn't help but notice how almost every female sitting in the beer garden watched him pass – even the ones sitting with guys. He really was gorgeous and he was _with her. _As she was congratulating herself for being with the hottest guy in the place, it occurred to her she would be insanely jealous if she ever saw him with another girl. God, that was unexpected. She hadn't really thought past shagging him, getting him to take her virginity. What about after that? Assuming she could get him to do it in the first place, what did she want after?

Thinking about it for the first time she realised she didn't know what she wanted. Coming home for the summer was just to catch up with her family (and lose her virginity) wasn't it? She intended to do go back to London and do a post graduate diploma in September and maybe an MA after that. Where could Gendry fit into that? He wouldn't move to London she was sure and she didn't want to spend the rest of her life in bloody Winterfell village. She was getting too far ahead of herself she decided. Achieve your goal Arya – get rid of the virginity thing and see what happens next.

She closed her eyes and visualize herself putting all thoughts of a future with Gendry and worse, thoughts of Gendry with someone else, back in the closet in her head where she put things she didn't want to think about. Mentally she shut the door tightly.

When he came back with the coffee, Arya watched the same wave of female eyes that had followed him as he'd left. _Back off, he's mine you bitches! _She snarled to herself. Again she was shocked at the strength of her feelings. The rational part of her brain knew he _wasn't_ hers and was still trying to process the implications of that stupid picture that screamed at her she had been in love with him. God, why couldn't he just have got her another glass of wine and all these awful thoughts would have just _pissed off_ – until tomorrow at least.

The animal part of her brain was whispering "YYou want him; you want to _fuck_ him. Just do it, just slide your tongue in his mouth and fucking get on with it." He sat down opposite her again and she watched the white flashes on his leather trousers lift over the supports of the picnic table as he sat down, his crotch briefly, temptingly, at her eye level. Then his arms and his shoulders were straight in front of her. She could see every tendon and muscle in his forearms playing beneath his skin and knew those arms were going to do it for her every time. Maybe it was the wolf in her that made her want to roll her hips in her tight leather trousers – _his_ tight leather trousers – she reminded herself for an extra little thrill, to try to find something to rub herself off. She really felt like a bitch in heat and before the end of the day she was going to have to get some relief from somewhere or she would explode.

"Hey Arya" he interrupted her daydream. She dragged her eyes away from his arms to his face, but he was concentrating on swirling the spoon in his coffee.

"Have you got a guy back in London?" his voice was thick and hesitant. His eyes never left his coffee. This had caught her off guard again. She briefly considered making up a story about a boyfriend she'd recently dumped, to make her sound more exciting, but then thought of the mess she'd got herself into lying about losing her virginity at University and decided she had to be honest this time.

"Umm. No." She stopped short of telling him she had _never_ had a boyfriend.

"What does 'Umm. No' mean?" He was looking at her now with those piercing blue eyes. "That sounds like you had to think about it." He put down his spoon, waiting expectantly for her answer.

"Well, I have friends who are boys, but definitely no boyfriend." There. That was the truth. How would he like that?

"And what are these boys who are friends like?" His eyes never left hers.

God, why did he want to know that?

"Well, there all pretty rich and posh I suppose and come from old families." God, why did she _say _that? He obviously didn't like it as the brows came down again and his jaw started clenching and unclenching.

"But, but there all pretty useless too" she added quickly. She had to find something to reassure him.

"For instance, we had to go to Brighton for some course work and one of the guys took some of us in his car, but we got a puncture. There were three guys in the car and not one of them would even _try _and change the wheel. So I said I would do it, but they all laughed at me and we had to wait two bloody hours at the side of a dual carriageway for Roadside Assistance to come and change the wheel. I was mortified. So they are nice boys I suppose, but they're not _men_." She deliberately put the emphasis on the word "men" as she reached over and took one of his big calloused hands in both of hers. She wasn't playing or acting this time. She meant it. She realised she wanted a man who could change a wheel! A man who would take care of her, fight for her, like he'd promised to do all those years ago. She didn't care if a man was rich or had a good name. She wanted _him_.

"I wish you had been there" she whispered, looking up at him shyly. He put his other hand over hers and squeezed gently, wrapping her hands in his strong, warm ones.

"I wish I had been there too" he replied and the two of them broke into embarrassed grins. She knew she had to seize this moment.

"If we're not going to the Castle, could we just go back to yours?" she asked and held her breath waiting for his reply.

"Sure." He seemed surprised, but hadn't hesitated with his answer.

"But first we're going to find that waitress. You are going to apologize for being such a rude bitch and leave her the cost of your lunch as a tip." He was telling her what to do again. But she knew he was right and she'd do what he told her to. This time.


	13. Chapter 13

Gendry thought life just didn't get any better. The combination of his new bike beneath him and Arya behind him, the sun shining and quiet roads made him as happy as he'd ever been. He was taking the most amazing woman, the one he had fantasised about for years, back to his flat on the fastest production bike in the world.

He had been pleased she had apologised graciously to the waitress when they left the Kneeling Man. He still had to help her fasten her helmet but she got on the bike with no trouble this time and was much more relaxed as they set off. Maybe it was the wine. She seemed to have got used to the motion of the bike too and wasn't clinging to him with the same desperation as before. In fact, she even rested her hands on his thighs a few times when they stopped at lights. She had brushed over his crotch a few times as her gloved hands either went round or came away from his waist. He didn't know if it was accidental and just because of the bulky ski gloves or if she was doing it deliberately. Whatever, each time sent a pulse of pleasure to his cock.

He rode the bike faster on the way back and as the miles rushed by and he wondered if she was in as much of a hurry to get back to his flat as he was. Harrenhal Castle could wait.

Coming back towards Winterfell, sitting at traffic lights before a stretch of dual carriage way, a banana yellow Porsche 911 cabriolet pulled up in the adjacent lane. There was only one person Gendry knew who drove a car like that. The revving of the Porsche's engine as it sat at the lights, spoiling for a race, confirmed his guess before he even looked across at the driver. Sure enough, it was Joffrey Baratheon. His boss's boss and a total arsehole.

Joffrey was the eldest son of Robert Baratheon, of Baratheon Garages - Gendry's employers. In addition to owning various car show rooms and repair shops nationally, the Baratheon family controlled a diverse business empire; but it had all been bought with money from the car business. As heir to the empire, Joffrey had been given the garage side of the business to run at the age of twenty one. All Gendry saw him do was tear around between the various premises in his yellow Porsche and harass the managers. He gave Gendry's boss, Tobho Mott, a hell of a time. Gendry was going to enjoy this.

While Joffrey revved his engine and glared across at them, hunched over his steering wheel, Gendry popped his visor up and turned to Arya.

"Are you ok to race this prick?" She nodded and squeezed his waist.

"Hold on tight then." And he revved the bike engine too.

As soon as the lights changed he released the clutch and the bike responded instantly. They shot off like Meatloaf's 'Bat out of hell' and he could see the yellow banana with a livid Joffrey disappear in his mirrors. He held it in first gear until he reached seventy, which was pretty instantly, and only then did he ease back the throttle and shift up the gears. The arsehole didn't slow down and must have been doing a hundred as he screamed past them, giving them the finger. Gendry reached behind and squeezed Arya's knee to make sure she was ok. The responding wriggle and squeeze of her thighs on his assured him she was.

As soon as they got back to the flat and while he was still helping her with her helmet, she burst out

"That was sooo cool: beating that idiot Joffrey away from the lights! But how did you know he wouldn't win?" He guessed she didn't know much about bikes or cars.

"Even the fastest car on the road is no match for a bike in a straight line like that. My bike will do 0-60 in about two and a half seconds, but even a Porsche will take nearer five." Although he was bursting with pride when he said it, she didn't seem very impressed by the figures - but she had liked racing Joffrey. He felt pleased with himself for buying the bike – for her. That had been a good call. Ok, he'd be paying for it for the next three years, but he felt it was already worth it.

He wasn't so happy to hear she knew the arsehole's name. Ok, Joffrey was a prick, but he was a _very_ _rich_ prick and if Arya was looking for a rich man, then Gendry had no chance. She told him she only knew Joffrey as he'd gone out with Sansa a while back and that started her off moaning about what a snob Sansa was but how she was still way too good for Joffrey. Listening to her, Gendry realised he'd never thought about it before, but he supposed the Starks must move in the same social circles as the Baratheons.

Thinking about the Baratheons and the Starks and all their money made him uncomfortable. It just reminded him that Arya was Lady Stark, the daughter of a Lord and way out of his league. While she might like messing around with him, he wanted Arya forever and how was that going to happen when he was only a welder? He knew the old Arya hadn't been remotely interested in money or status, but what about now? London had changed her so much, had it changed that too?

He told himself that maybe all that mattered was that right now Arya was with him, disliked Joffrey as much as he did and they were having a laugh about the race. That made Gendry feel a bit better, but not for long as his heart sank when they got to his flat. Robb and Jon both had keys and occasionally stayed. Sometimes they also brought girls back - girls they wouldn't take to Winterfell. Robb did that pretty often, Jon only when that red haired Ygritte came down from up north for those climbing competitions they both went in for.

They had a sign to let him know when they were in – the 'Welcome' door mat was turned the wrong way. Of all the goddamn days. Well he wasn't going to ruin his afternoon with Arya for bloody Jon or Robb.

As he hesitated at the door, Arya giggled and squeezed his arse. Any chance of him not going into the flat instantly evaporated. God, she was being so brazen. He couldn't make up his mind if she was just teasing him, or if she really wanted him to respond to all this touching. So far all he'd done was squeeze her knee a few times on the bike, but she'd made plenty of moves on him. What would she do if he squeezed her arse back? He wanted to find out, but that meant going inside.

"We've got company - Jon or Robb's here."

Without waiting for her to say anything he unlocked the door and walked in. Although he held the door open for her she just stood there on the wrong-way-round door mat looking past him. Shit. Shit. Shit. Talisa was nearly naked and in his kitchen. She was just about wearing Robb's shirt which just about covered her arse, her head in the fridge. Too bloody late to walk away now. Keep it cool Gendry. He told himself.

"Hi Talisa. Whatcha doing?"

She obviously got a fright as she jumped at the sound of his voice and banged her head on the fridge.

"Ow bugger! Gendry don't sneak up on me like that! I was just getting us some cokes."

"Damn, I keep forgetting to put a lock on that fridge." Talisa was good fun and normally he'd be quite happy to see her, but today wasn't a normal day. Normally he would also have enjoyed the view, but he knew he had better not stare or he could expect a slap from Arya

"I've got company myself" and he turned around to Arya.

Arya's face was a picture. He eyes were like saucers and her mouth was open in shock. He grabbed her hand and dragged her into the flat, but before he could introduce them Arya recovered herself and snuggled into his side, snaking her hand around his waist and down into his bike trousers

"I'm Gendry's _girlfriend" _she purred and looked from Talisa up to him with a sly smile on her face. He was taken aback by her move and her hand down his trousers was really distracting him. He stumbled with the introductions,

"This is Talisa's Robb's err..." he struggled for the right word and settled on "friend" "and this is …

Before he could finish Arya yelped "Lyanna – pleased to meet you!"

Now it was Gendry's turn to look shocked. Arya drew him a look that said "Shut up stupid!" and pushed her hand further into his pants. Any further and she'd be touching his cock. Arya was obviously marking her territory. The signals she was sending weren't lost on Talisa, who seemed to find it amusing.

"Nice to meet you Lyanna. You've got a great catch there. I was beginning to think he would never find anyone who would ring his bell!" She grinned at them both before shouting at the top of her voice

"Robb! Gendry's here and he's got his girlfriend with him!"

Robb hollered back from the spare room

"About bloody time you big bastard!"

At the sound of Robb's voice Arya dug her nails into his groin so hard he though she would draw blood and he had to clench his teeth to stop himself yelling out in pain. This so wasn't how he had imagined having her hand down his trousers would feel!

"Well, you two have fun. Don't mind us" laughed Talisa as she sauntered out of the kitchen, Robb's shirt hanging off her shoulders. He didn't watch her go; he turned to Arya and growled

"Why didn't you tell her who you are? Are you _ashamed _of me?

"Of course not you big stupid" she spluttered as she yanked her hand out from his waistband and balled her fists on her hips.

"Then why didn't you tell her who you were instead of saying your name was bloody Lyanna?"

"Oh Gendry, I just panicked. First you tell me one of my big brothers is here but all I see is some nearly naked bitch in your fridge. She's obviously not Robb's _fiancée_ and she's not got red hair so she's not Jon's type. What am I supposed to think? I though that she must have been _your_ girlfriend! And then you tell me she's Robb's _friend _although he's been engagedto Freya for like, for ever!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I've never met Freya and you can imagine Robb doesn't mention her much." He muttered. Arya glared at him and that wonderful, pouty mouth was back.

"But what the hell is going on? He's supposed to be getting married to Freya in September and he's shagging some tart in your flat! My mum is going to go _nuts!" _Her hands were still on her hips and she was all attitude like this was _his_ fault.He automatically ran his hands through his hair. God this was awkward. It didn't help that Robb and Talisa had now switched on their 'make out' music which wasn't loud enough to cover the noise they were making.He huffed,

"Well I didn't know they'd set a date and anyway Arya, it's none of our business. You better promise me now that you won't breathe a word of this to _anyone_. Not Sansa, not your Dad. No one. Robb needs to sort this out himself. If you tell _anyone_ then the shit will hit the fan and I'll get the blame for this too. Now promise me."

He knew he was probably coming on a bit strong. He didn't want to make it sound like he was threatening her but he really needed her to promise him this. Robb was his best mate and Gendry wasn't going to let Arya fuck things up. The stupid arse was doing a great job of fucking things up himself.

"Promise me Arya." He said again through gritted teeth.

"Ok. Ok I will. I promise not to tell anyone." She didn't look happy about it though.

"But does Jon know?" Although he was relieved to hear her promise, straight away here was another problem.

"Yes, Jon knows." he sighed as he slumped down on a kitchen stool and he was back to running his hands through his hair. What a fucking mess.

Jon and Gendry had both found out about Talisa at the same time. The two of them had rolled back to Gendry's flat after a drunken night out to discover Robb and Talisa in the fucking bath together. Jon had staggered in to take a piss and all hell had broken loose. God what a night that had been. He thought Jon was going to kill Robb. Bloody Stark honour. If Gendry hadn't been there to pull Jon off him, Robb would have had a trip to the hospital to explain to Eddie Stark as well as cheating on his fiancé. After much drunken shouting and bawling, at the end Jon's loyalty to his brother had been stronger than either his concern for Freya or for Robb bringing disgrace upon the Stark name. Jon had told Robb to sort his shit out. He wouldn't be pleased if he heard from Arya that Robb still hadn't sorted anything.

"God, I need a drink." She said as she dropped down on the other stool at the breakfast bar. Their knees were touching; his twice the size of hers. He watched her take off her jacket and fantasised about reaching over and unzipping those salopettes, watching her tits bounce free. Despite the Robb situation, just seeing her sitting in his kitchen in that silky black top thing was enough to make his cock twitch again. It had been up and down more times than a whore's drawers today. Pity this was only their first date. He would have to make do with another wank, staring at her picture again tonight. He'd already waited this long. He could wait for as long as he needed to. He had no doubt the wait was going to be worth it.

She bumped her knee against his to get his attention.

"Is it ok if I have another glass a wine now Sir?" She was making fun of wouldn't do.

"Of course Milady." He paused for dramatic effect and to watch her scowl. She really didn't like it when he called her that.

"But _I_ don't have any wine. If Milady wants to take herself down to the local off licence, Milady can buy herself any bloody type of wine she likes!" And the two of them were back to grinning at each other like idiots.

"Ok smart arse. What have you got? The way I feel right now, as long as it's alcoholic I'll drink it." He shrugged off his jacket and pulled the dish towel from one of the cupboard door handles, draped it over his arm like a waiter, opened the fridge and pretended to have a look around.

"We have cold beer and if that doesn't suit Milady, we might be able to find her a warm beer somewhere." He turned round and bowed like he imagined a waiter in a fancy restaurant would. She played along.

"Thank you kind Sir. The lady would like a _cold_ beer then please, oh and take one for yourself while you're at it - Sir."

He held two bottles in one hand, opened them with a flourish and presented one to her.

"And how is Milady proposing to pay for these beers?" he smirked.

"Oh kind Sir, Milady is going to have to think of some _special_ way to pay her debt." She took a most un-ladylike swig out of the bottle.

_What did she mean by that? _What a mass of contradictions she was. She was going to keep him on his toes, no doubt about it.

They sat eyeing each other for a while. She was swigging out the bottle like there was no tomorrow and he was mesmerised by her elegant fingers with the fancy polish sliding around the neck of the bottle. When she lifted the bottle to those pouty lips her head would go back and he could watch her long, tanned neck and her messed up hair fall over her shoulders. He was just enjoying the show, enjoying the sexual tension when she interrupted his daydream

"So, my oldest brother's cheating on his fiancé in your _shag pad_. What about Jon? Come on, spill it Gendry."

"Hey, it's not my shag pad" he said indignantly. "Don't tar me with the same brush as those two."

"Yeah I'm sure you're pure as the driven slush" and she gave him a wicked look. "Come on, I've promised not to tell anyone about Robb, I'll promise the same about Jon. He can't be any worse can he?"

"Captain Condom? No way." Gendry snorted.

Arya choked on the swig of beer she'd just taken. She started coughing and spluttering so hard the beer came down her nose. She looked so shocked and disgusted with herself as she tried to wipe the beer off her chin that Gendry thought he was going to end himself laughing at her.

"S'not funny" she yelled and that set him off again, trying to call her "Arya Snot" but he was laughing so hard he couldn't get the words out right. When she slid off her bar stool and stood between his legs and punched his chest he just laughed even more. So she punched him again, harder this time and when he still laughed she punched him with her left fist as well. This was beginning to hurt. He tried to say "Stop it", but it came out "Snot it" and that just set him off _again_.

"Gendry Waters you are no gentleman, laughing at a Lady like that" she put on a voice like a spoilt child, but she was laughing too. She playfully punched him again.

"But you are no Lady - Arya Snot!" he managed to reply as he finally gulped in some air. The tears were beginning to roll out his eyes.

When she went to hit him this time he caught first her right wrist and then her left in his hands. He had her so close now they were touching legs and arms and he could smell the fresh air and perfume from her hair and the beer from her mouth. She wriggled to try and break his grip, but he was way too strong for her.

"OOOh, that's not fair!" she complained as she couldn't budge his hold on her wrists. Before he had time to reply she planted a kiss hard on his lips. That was as unexpected as it was fucking amazing. He kissed her back just as hard, squashing her wrists and his hands between their bodies. She tasted of beer, but the feeling of her lips on his more than made up for that. Through the kiss he was aware that she was trying to wriggle free again, so he let go of her writs and was rewarded by her snaking her arms around his waist and pressing her hips into his open thighs as she strained to get as close to him as possible. He opened his legs slightly wider and she immediately eased closer so there were only two layers of leather between his cock and her pussy. She was grinding against him with the same delicious rhythm that she was using to kiss him. He felt her tongue suddenly in his mouth and everything was happening so quickly now, his tongue was in her mouth, his thighs were squeezing hers, his hands were on her arse, pressing her into him and then she was trying to work her hands down into his trousers.

He was so lost in the moment, it wasn't until she started pulling his t shirt out of his trousers and up over his stomach that he suddenly realised she was trying to undress him in his kitchen. He broke the kiss and pulled his T shirt down while she was still trying to pull it up.

"Arya stop." He whispered. She had her eyes half closed and her lips were blood red from him kissing her so hard. She was so beautiful it hurt.

"Hmm" she murmured as she raked her nails across his stomach under his T shirt. Fuck. That was so hot; it sent an electric shock straight to his cock. He had to grab her wrist again.

"Arya stop it. I know this is bloody amazing and everything, but it's our first date and I want to slow things down a bit. Take it easy. Really enjoy it." He wanted to say "I want to make love to you", but worried that would just sound corny and he was also scared to use the word "love" so soon.

She leaned in to kiss him again, but he pulled his head back so she couldn't reach his lips. If he let her kiss him again he didn't know if he'd be able to stop himself. She kept trying to pull off his T shirt.

"But I don't want to stop. I am enjoying it and I want you to _fuck_ _me_." She bumped her crotch hard against his to emphasise the "_fuck me_" bit. God, what was she doing? This was just too much, too soon for him. After years of worshiping her he didn't want to hear her beg for a fuck six hours into their first date. Is this how she acted on every first date? The though made him feel sick.

"Stop. Now." This time it was an order. She pulled away - puzzled, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Don't tell me what to do!" she yelled at him.

"You were liking it well enough a minute ago and I really want you to _fuck_ me now."

Every time she said that word, it made him angrier.

"I'm not going to _fuck_ you, so stop saying that."

"Why not?" she shouted at him "I know you've wanted to fuck me since you saw me again in the Doctors and don't try and deny it you bastard!"

"I don't want to just _fuck_ you Arya and I never have." He spat the word "fuck" back at her. She was making him so angry after he had been so turned on that he could feel a dangerous rage building inside him. He knew that if he didn't calm down, if he wasn't careful, he could do something he would really regret. He slowly took a deep breath.

"I think we should call it a day. Give ourselves time to calm down and we'll talk about it later. Go and get changed and I'll run you home."

"FUCK YOU!" she swore at him, grabbed the jeans she'd left on the work top that morning and ran off into the bathroom, leaving him wondering for the second time that day what the hell was going on with her.


	14. Chapter 14

Arya sat on the edge of the bath and sobbed. Great gulping, wracking sobs. She didn't think she had ever cried like this, but then she had never been humiliated like this before. Her plan had crashed and burned. She had offered herself to him and he had rejected her. She never wanted to see him again, but she was trapped in his bathroom. Even if she phoned a taxi now, she would still have to get out his flat. Even if she went back to London tomorrow, she still had to walk past him today. The whole situation was just too awful.

She could still hear Robb's music and wondered if he had heard her shouting or could hear her crying. Oh, that whole thing was awful as well.

In the mirror she could see her smoky eye shadow all ruined by tears. She blew her nose on some toilet roll and tried to wipe them away, but the tears just wouldn't stop.

How DARE he lead her on and then just dismiss her. She might still be a virgin, but she wasn't STUPID. She was sure he had been just as up for it as she was, and then he had gone cold; told her to stop. What had she done wrong? _Had_ she done something wrong? She had no idea, but it was enough for the stupid bastard to freeze on her and tell her to go home.

She cringed when she remembered their argument. Arya hadn't sworn like that at anyone before, but he'd made her so angry. It was all his fault, whatever way she looked at it. Bloody stupid bull headed bastard boy. She was going to walk out of here and never look back. He wanted to "call it a day." He wanted to "give ourselves time to calm down and talk about it later." No way. He'd blown it and she was out of here.

His flat was on the outskirts of the village. She guessed if she phoned a taxi it would arrive in minutes. She looked for her phone. Bugger! She had left her it in the pocket of his jacket. Never mind, she could phone from outside his flat and she wouldn't have to wait long. No way was she getting on that stupid bike again. Right, she knew what she was going to do. All she had to do was stop crying and get out of these stupid salopettes.

She pulled at the zip but it wouldn't budge - it was caught on the silk of her thermal vest. That must have happened when she went to the toilet in Hot Pie's pub. When she'd first zipped the bloody salopettes up, she had been able to lie on the bed in Gendry's spare room: the spare room where Robb and Talisa were… she shoved those thoughts to the back of her mind and focused on her immediate problem. She'd forced the zip up in a hurry and now could see silk poking through the teeth. Bugger. It looked like it was caught all the way down. Stupid Gendry and his stupid bike.

She collapsed on the edge of the bath again and this time tears of frustration came as well as tears of humiliation. When did she get to be so pathetic? She couldn't get Gendry and she couldn't even get a pair of stupid trousers off. While she was blowing her nose again she heard him at the door.

"Arya are you ok?" he said in a loud whisper. She ignored him so he said it again. She thought about telling him to "Piss off", but her fury of fifteen minutes ago was gone. All she wanted now was to get out of there and go home.

"No" was all she said.

"Please open the door so I can talk to you." Gendry said quietly through the door.

"No" again.

He tried to turn the handle but she didn't intend to unlock it. He might want to talk to her, but _she_ didn't want to talk to _him_.

"Arya, open the bloody door or, God help me, I'll kick it in. Is that what you want?" He wasn't whispering anymore.

What she _didn't _want was Gendry making a scene by kicking the stupid door. What would Robb say about that? Jon had found Robb and Talisa in the bathroom, what would Robb do if he found Gendry with her? Probably give his mate a pat on the back. No, she definitely didn't want that.

She had no doubt Gendry was bull headed enough to break down his own door. Well, the _old _Gendry, the Gendry she used to know, would have done it, but maybe she didn't really know him anymore. She had changed so much in the last three years; perhaps it was naive of her to think he had stayed the same. Maybe that was her whole problem. She was too bloody naive. She had just assumed she would get what she wanted, like she always did. This time things had _so_ not turned out like she planned.

There was nothing else for it – she had to let him in before he kicked his way in. She stood up and unlocked the door, but turned away so she would have her back to him. She might have to let him in, but she didn't have to look at him. He opened the door as soon as he heard the lock click, however she hadn't expected him to come in and lock the door again behind him. God, now she was trapped in here with him. She couldn't see him, but she could feel him behind her, radiating tension. She closed her eyes tight but she could still picture him standing there, doing that 'running-his-hands-through-his-hair' thing he did when he was angry. She daren't open her eyes. If she had to look at him, look at that gorgeous face, she knew she would start crying again; crying with humiliation at his rejection, but also for what she had wanted and lost.

"Arya, we need to talk about this." What was it with him and _talking_ now?

"I don't _want_ to talk about it. I made my feelings pretty clear and you made it damn clear you don't feel the same way about me – so that's it. Nothing to talk about. Now let me out and I'm going to get a taxi home."

Her voice was cold, but she still couldn't look at him. She knew she could only get through this if she didn't have to look at him. But he wasn't going to let her go that easily. He grabbed the tops of her arms, spinning her around.

"Look at me! Look at me while I tell you this!" She was taken aback by the fury in his voice. His hands were digging into her arms. His face was just centimetres from hers, his hot breath on her. She could smell his aftershave and feel his power through his steely grip. When she opened them, her bloodshot eyes were looking straight into his angry blue ones.

"I meant it when I said I don't want to just _fuck_ you Arya. I want _way _more than that from you. Does it not mean anything to you that I kept a picture of the two of us? I want Robb and Jon and your father to know that we're together and for you to be _proud_ to be with me. I want you to stay here with me and not go back to London. I want _everything _from you Arya, do you not realise that?"

The intensity of him overwhelmed her. What he said shocked her. She finally realised he'd kept that picture she had been so appalled by because he loved her. Waves of relief washed over her. He _did_ want her. This changed everything.

If Gendry had just stopped there she would have forgiven him completely, but the stupid bastard didn't shut up. He just kept talking…

"But I don't like all this prick teasing Arya. It's only our first date and it's like you're begging for it. I can't bear you being so, so…_slutty_."

"Slutty?" She repeated. She felt like he'd slapped her with that one word.

"Yeah slutty. All this '_fuck me'_ shit. A Lady should never beg like that."

"How can I be slutty when I'm still a _virgin?_" she shouted back. Now she felt like slapping him.

"What?" He paused, trying to comprehend what she had just said.

"Don't mess me around Arya. I'm being honest with you. Now tell me the truth!" He gripped her arms so hard it hurt.

This was all too much for her. He'd said such wonderful things a few moments ago and now he was accusing her of _lying _about being a virgin. Although she hated herself for being so pathetic, she couldn't stop herself crying again. Here she was - crying in front of Gendry because he'd called her "slutty". Through her tears she sobbed

"Yes, I'm still a virgin and I wasn't being a prick tease because I really wanted to do it with you and I'd had such a great day and I thought you wanted it too… but I don't know what I'm doing 'cos I've never done this before… and you told me to stop and go home… and now I can't get these stupid trousers off …and now you tell me you _do_ want me, but I'm _slutty_…so maybe you don't…" It all just tumbled out and probably didn't make sense but it was the best she could do because, at that moment, she felt like she was riding an emotional roller coaster.

He released his grip on her arms and pulled her into his, against his hard chest. He was cuddling her and kissing the top of her head, while she trembled against him.

"That's quite a bombshell you just dropped there Arya. How could someone like you not… you know… in London?" then he stiffened before asking

"It's not like you have to _stay_ a virgin until you're married is it? Like that Lady Dina who married the heir to the throne? If you're a Lady do you have to do that?"

"No stupid!" Only he could think of a stupid thing like that. She tried to laugh

"I'm never marrying a Prince! Anyway, Sansa would kill me if I got one and she didn't." She gave him a weak smile. He looked relieved and hugged her tightly again.

"So we're ok then? We've got all summer together to do this haven't we?" He held her at arms length, watching for her reaction. She tried to smile for him. Was he really suggesting she wait _all summer_? She didn't know how she was going to feel about all this in an hour, never mind by the end of the bloody summer. She wasn't certain that she shouldn't still leave. Wouldn't that just be easier? He thought she was 'slutty'. She could find some other boy who wouldn't care how slutty she was; some other boy who wouldn't make it so _difficult_.

He seemed to take her weak smile as agreement they were 'ok' and changed the subject

"What's the other thing you said - about stupid trousers?"

"The zip's stuck" she mumbled.

"Ok, no problem. I'm sure we can fix that." His face flushed beetroot when he realised the offending zip was sitting right in the centre of her cleavage. It gave Arya a perverse pleasure to see _him_ looking awkward and embarrassed. After his being so mean to her, she was quite happy to watch him squirm.

"Right, let's do this." He said determinedly, as if he was psyching himself up to run a marathon rather than tackle a zipper. He held the top of the two halves of the leather together with one hand and pulled the zip with the other. Arya had already tried that, so of course nothing happened. He hesitated and then decided he would have to try and pull the silk up, away from the zip. That involved him grasping the silk where it was stretched between her breasts. He fumbled so much it took him several attempts to catch a bit of the flimsy material between his fingers and when he finally managed it, the zip only moved a few centimetres exposing more of her breasts. He was really beginning to get flustered and Arya decided she might be able to have some fun with him after all.

"How about you keep the salopettes and you can use them next time we go out on the bike?" he muttered. She wasn't going to let him get off so lightly and anyway, how was she supposed to get out of them when she got back to Winterfell?

"I really want them off Gendry. I'm going to need to pee soon and I'm _too hot_ now."

Actually, he was the one looking hot and bothered. She was pleased to note that, when he tried again his hands weren't as steady and a bead of sweat was trickling down his temple, past his floppy fringe. She had to bite her lip to stop herself smiling at him. Ooh, she was feeling quite wicked now. This was fun.

"Right!" he exclaimed as he gave up trying to catch the scrap of silk between his thick fingers. "There's only one thing for it, we need to cut this thing off."

"Can you not try again?" she asked innocently. "This top was really expensive."

"No I can't. It's either cut it off or you just wear them home." He huffed and there was the scowling, stubborn expression that earned him his "Bull" nick name. She had to try very hard not to laugh.

"Ok then. If you have to." She sighed dramatically.

He stomped off to the kitchen to find some scissors. Arya took the opportunity to try to wipe away some off the mascara that had run down her face, leaving her looking like a halloween Alice Cooper. Her hair was wild from the bike ride, but there was nothing much she could do about that. Her face was flushed and she remembered how happy and excited she'd looked in the mirror of his spare room that morning. She decided she liked how she looked when she was turned on.

He came back with a huge pair of kitchen scissors.

"You'd better be careful with them Waters" she warned him, eyeing the scissors warily.

He set to work, first cutting down from the neck to the zip. She had time to study him as concentration furrowed his thick black brows. He really was a bad girl's dream; all tight leather trousers, muscles and spiky attitude.

He had to stop cutting to dry the sweat from his hands after he reached the zip. He tried to wipe his palms down the front of his thighs, but his hands just slid down the leather in a _very_ sexy way. He cursed and grabbed a towel off the rail, dried his palms and started again. This time he went around the bib, which meant around her breasts. They were now squeezed up and out of the leather by his earlier efforts. There was something very erotic about his rough hands, so used to working metal, trying to be careful and gentle with her. Every time he touched her, pulses of electricity shot straight south, ending with a tingling in her panties.

He was gritting his teeth as he carefully worked with the scissors. Soon he had to stop and dry his hands again. She was pleased to note that this time he also had to wipe his forehead with the towel. It wasn't _that_ hot in here. She hoped it was her making him sweat.

After he finished with the scissors he exhaled loudly with something like relief and suggested if she slid the straps off her shoulders she could pull the salopettes down. Had he not noticed how tight they were? It wasn't going to be easy. She could have tried to do it herself – but where was the fun in that?

"Ok, but they're very tight so you'll need to help me." Arya wriggled her arms out the straps and he carefully pulled the pieces of cut silk away. Next she tugged at the leather of the salopettes at her waist. She sneaked a look at him while she was wriggling and tugging. He was still deep in concentration again, but this time on her jiggling breasts. Result!

With a pull and a wriggle the bib slid down under her breasts. One of her nipples had escaped from her wonder bra during the struggle. There it was – exposed like a big raspberry right in front of him. They both blushed scarlet. A _slutty_ girl would have freed the other raspberry nipple from her bra to show him a matching pair, but _he_ didn't like slutty, so she just pushed the offending nipple back in her bra - slowly.

Eying her warily, he reached up and gently cupped her breasts in his hands. He ran his thumbs over the soft globes, pushed up by black lace and leather. Although it felt wonderful, Arya wasn't going to let him off the hook so easily. Oh no! He wanted to wait so she was going to bloody well make him.

"Stop it!" she snapped. "We're taking it slow – remember?"

He looked guilty and dropped his hands.

"Yeah, of course. Do you want me to leave you to it then?" he muttered, not meeting her eyes and now trying to look anywhere but at her breasts.

"Well, that was the easy part, I need your help now. I don't know if I'll be able to get them over my… erm, bottom. If I push the top down will you try and pull?" she asked - again in her most innocent voice. He was getting _really_ embarrassed. This was pay back time for calling her slutty. She'd see who was begging for it after this…

He put his big hands on her hips and tried to grip the corrugated leather at the sides. There wasn't much loose leather but he managed to grab a bit in each hand while she bunched up the leather on her waist to push.

"Right. One, two, three, go" She pushed the bib down and he tugged the hips. Nothing moved.

He had to stop to use the towel again on his sweaty hands. Then he sat down on the edge of the bath but bolted straight back up again as his eyes were level with her breasts, spilling out of her bra. The look on his face was priceless and she had to bite her lip again to stop from laughing at him. She reached up, put her hands on his shoulders and gently pushed to make him sit again. She wasn't finished with him yet.

"This time keep pulling and I'll push and try and wriggle out of them at the same time." She ordered.

She grabbed the roll of leather at her waist again and started trying to wriggle it down, snaking her hips from side to side. The big stupid bull just sat and watched her.

"Come on Gendry, help me!" and that galvanised him into action again. He pulled as she pushed and wriggled. Finally the leather started inching down, over her stomach and to the widest part of her hips.

"Nearly there. One, two, three…" and with a final push, pull and wriggle the leather was over her hips and down at her knees, taking her panties with it. She stood in front of him - naked where it mattered. She let him have a long look at the white bits that didn't get the spray tan and her London landing strip bikini wax. Slowly she bent over and pulled her panties up. They were soaking wet - probably had been since 10 am.

He was just staring at her, mouth slightly open. Oh, he was so easy to tease and she was so wicked.

"Thanks for your help. I couldn't have done it without you." she smirked and turned away to try to extract her feet but as she bent over he grabbed her hips so hard it made her stumble. He buried his face in the gauze of her panties, stretched across the cheeks of her arse. She could feel his hot breath down on her sex, stirring feelings she'd never experienced before. She couldn't bring herself to move. After what seemed like ages, he let her go.

"Have you any idea what you're doing to me Arya? He growled, his voice thick with desire.

She couldn't resist. "No. What do you mean?"

"You _know_ what I mean. I want us to do this now."

"But you said we had to take it slow. We've got all summer. Remember?" She asked innocently.

"Fuck taking it slow. Come here." He tried to grab her, but she pushed his hands away.

"Oh, so it's slutty when _I_ beg, but when Sir Gendry wants some, that's ok, is it?" She'd made her point.

"Don't prick tease me Arya. No games now. I'm not going to ask you again. Do you want me to make love to you?"

The effect those words had on her was electric. Arya turned back to him and boldly squeezed his cock through his leathers, giving him the answer he needed. He stood up and lifted her easily, one big arm around her shoulders, the other under her thighs. The two of them struggled to unlock the door but between them they managed and he carried her, trousers still at her knees, to his bedroom.


	15. Chapter 15

He sat her gently on the bed and ordered her to lie down while he unzipped her boots, and finally worked the salopettes off, discarding them all on the floor. He stood up and pulled his T shirt over his head giving her the first sight of his shoulders, chest and abs. Oh My God. Wow. For all he was big and wide, he was lean and she could see the muscles on his shoulders and abs ripple under his skin as he moved. He had silky black hair across the centre of his chest and continuing down, disappearing into his leather trousers. She noticed he had a tattoo on his bulging shoulder but from the angle she lay looking up at him, she couldn't quite see what it was.

"If you want me to do this, I'm gonna do it right. Are you sure Arya?" his voice was gravely and his face serious. She felt as tense as a high wire, but she had come so far, there was no going back now.

She nodded.

He started to remove her panties and she lifted her hips to allow him to work them off. Once he had them he balled them in his hand and told her what she already knew.

"They're soaking. You are really ready for this aren't you?" She wasn't sure if he was waiting for her answer, but she whispered "Yes"

"Oh Shit!" He ran his other hand through his hair, a scowl on his face.

"Condoms! Don't move. I'll be right back"

He started out the door

"Wait" she yelled after him and he turned.

"You're not going into Robb's room are you?"

"Well, I need to, I haven't got any in here." He was obviously in too much of a rush to want to stand and discuss this, but she didn't want him barging in on Robb asking for Condoms and maybe telling Robb why he needed them. She wanted time to think about how she was going to break the news that she was 'Lyanna' to her big brother.

"You don't need to. I'm err…on the pill" and she was beetroot as she had to say it.

"Oh, as long as you're sure. That's great." And he was straight back to business.

He knelt down at the side of the bed, laid his warm hands on her knees and parted her legs. She fought against the urge to hold them tight shut, tried to relax and open herself up to him.

"Have you ever had a man make you come like this?" he asked. She didn't know quite how he was intending to make her come, but seeing as no man had ever made her come in any way, she shook her head nervously.

"Well, just relax and you'll enjoy this. Tell me if you want me to stop. Ok?"

While he was talking, he started rubbing her swollen clit with his thumb. She could hardly bring herself to look at him, kneeling between her thighs, heavy lidded eyes staring at her, but she managed a nervous smile and nodded again. Keeping up a tender but relentless rhythm with his thumb, he bent his head and started kissing her in places no man had ever been before. Despite being so nervous, she had been so aroused for so long and this felt so good, she guessed it wasn't going to take much for him to make her come.

As he replaced his thumb with his tongue, the feelings building in her were so intense she had to close her eyes tightly. She just couldn't cope with any more sensory stimulation. Her nails dug into his duvet, desperate for something to hold onto as her frustration reached boiling point. His jaw was rough on the inside of her thighs and his breath was hot on her sex as he licked her inside and out. She felt herself panting and rolling her head from side to side as he pushed her nearer to the edge.

She was quivering, on the brink of her first orgasm with him and knowing she was close; he plunged his tongue deeper into her and moved his thumb in a faster and harder circle on her clit. She bit her lip to stop herself from screaming as the first vibrations of her orgasm hit, giving her a climax that sent shudders reverberating all over her body.

She was still gasping for air, still disorientated from reaching a climax so quickly when his breath was hot on the side of her face. He smelt musky and the smell of her on him was not as bad as she had expected. He whispered in her ear

"Now it's my turn Arya. I'm not going to last long but we'll do it again after and I'll make sure you come then. Ok?"

She felt him move away and when she finally opened her eyes he was all back and muscles and floppy hair as he bent over unbuckling his bike boots and kicking them away. She pushed herself up and reached for the waistband of his leather trousers. As she lowered the zip his cock jumped out and she gasped with surprise at seeing a fully aroused man for the first time in her life. He was bigger and thicker than she had ever imagined. The blunt, purple tip of his cock glistened with moisture.

After he was free, there was no time to waste. He was hard as rock and he wanted her. He kicked off his trousers and she shifted on the bed until her head was on the pillow. He kneeled above her and she willingly parted her legs for him again. She knew she was already sopping wet, his saliva now mingling with her own juices. She could only hope it wasn't going to hurt too much.

"Just be gentle ok?" she whispered "Very, very gentle….oh God that's good" and she felt him nudge inside her. He was trembling above her with the effort of holding himself back. She lifted her pelvis in an unconscious plea for him to go further and he rammed into her, ripping her maidenhead apart. The pain was sharp, but over in an instant and he was slamming into her, each thrust taking him closer to his peak. She didn't have time to pick up his rhythm before he bared his teeth in triumph, groaned deeply and came inside her, shuddering above her as he empted his seed.

He lay on top of her as he caught his breath, a sheen of sweat between them. She marvelled at how he was so big and heavy and yet it didn't hurt to have him lying on her, in fact it felt so natural she never wanted him to move. As she felt his come beginning to seep down her thighs, he eased himself out of her and rolled onto his side beside her. She followed his lead and rolled to face him. He was grinning like an idiot and it was so infectious, she grinned back.

"So?" he left the question hanging in the air as he reached out to push some stray hair away from her eyes and tuck it behind her ear.

"So, I _think_ I liked it, but I think I need to do it again just to be sure" she whispered and gave him a wicked little smile.

"Well I think we can manage that" and he trailed his hand from her hair lazily down her arm, to her waist and down her hip, "but first we need a shower"

Her eyes roamed over his body and noticed the blood drying on the tight black curls at the base of his penis. Her blood. She shivered slightly at the thought.

"Show me your tattoo first."

He rolled his shoulder towards her so she could see the tattoo of the bull with its tail flicking high and its head lowered to charge. She traced her finger over the words written in twisting letters above and below it and whispered them to him "Valar Morghulis" and he answered

"Valar Dohaeris." "Do you remember the poem?"

She nodded. Arya had been chosen to read it at the school's annual end of term ceremony. Gendry had helped her learn it – for weeks the two of them had recited alternating lines to each other as they walked too and from school.

"I got it after my mum died. It just seemed _right_ at the time." And he shrugged, unable or unwilling to explain it further to her.

Oh God, how had she not known that his mother had died? Why hadn't anyone told her? Or had they, and she'd just been too wrapped up in her London life to care? She hadn't even asked him about his mum today, although she'd seen Mrs Waters every day for all the years that Gendry took her to school. She hadn't asked about when he'd bought a flat or why. Suddenly she felt very selfish and guilty for being away from everyone in Winterfell for so long. Not just Gendry, but Rickon and Bran who had both grown up so fast and who she'd hardly seen in the past three years.

"I'm sorry. When did she…"

Arya ran her hand from his tattoo down his arm until it rested on his hand sitting on her hip. She squeezed it gently as she just couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

"Christmas. After you left for London. Really suddenly, but your Dad was great Arya. I couldn't have got through it without him."

And she felt so heart sore for him, so ashamed of herself and proud of her dad all at the same time, that she felt tears prick her eyes again.

"Come here you!" she said in an attempt to hide her emotions and held out her arms. He moved across the bed to her and she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her head in his shoulder and draping her leg over his hip. Everything about him was so hard and strong and reassuring. She'd never felt so soft or feminine before. She loved all the contrasts between his body and hers, the rough chin, the hair that covered him, the solid planes and angles of his body, his height and weight, his tattoo and most of all his cock. She felt it stirring against her stomach as he nibbled her ear and neck. She squeezed his hip with her leg and felt the warm, wet results of their love making ooze between their bodies.

"Come on. Shower. Before you get some more practice in."


	16. Chapter 16

Gendry let Arya use the en-suite first. He heard her moving around, the toilet flushing as he gathered up their clothes and hung them over the back of the one chair in the room. He decided to change the sheet on the bed too. Hopefully there would be no more blood stains next time.

When he heard the shower start he knocked the door.

"Can I come in?"

"Just hurry up" she yelled at him through the door. He couldn't stop the grin he felt appearing on his face. She could be very demanding and he liked it. The en-suite wasn't large and already it was steamy from the shower. He could only see her outline vaguely through the glass shower door and steam. He used the toilet before standing in front of the shower.

"Room for another one?" he shouted over the noise made by the shower. He thought it was only polite. Maybe she was cleaning herself or washing her hair or something and didn't want him to come in. Her answer shocked him. She pressed her tits to the glass and he got a fantastic view of squashed tits and soapy nipples. Just as quickly they disappeared. Then she must have bent over as suddenly her white arse cheeks were pressed hard against the glass door and he could see everything. It took a lot to shock Gendry, but he was shocked. There was no doubting she had been a virgin half an hour before, but she was also so, so…. wild. Although he'd told her he didn't like it when she was begging for it really what he didn't like was thinking about her acting like that with other guys. She could be as slutty as she liked with him and only him.

He yanked the door open, surprising her and making her stumble backwards. He caught her arse in his hands and pushed her back into the shower, giving her arse a few hard squeezes before closing the door behind them.

"Ow, you gave me a fright! I nearly fell out!" she yelped trying not to get water in her eyes and mouth.

"Well you gave me quite a show. Where did you learn to do that?" he asked, half wanting to know, half not, in case he didn't like her answer.

"I never learned it! I just saw it on some rap video once and thought I'd like to be able to do that to someone one day" she pouted.

"I've never done it to anyone else if that's what you mean." Arya huffed and looked warily up at him. A wave of relief washed over him.

"Hmm, well I'm looking forward to finding out what else you've been saving up to try out on me." God, he was finding this such a turn on. The anticipation of what was coming next, what was going to happen not just few minutes, but tomorrow, next week, next year? She was such an intoxicating mix; she was so familiar, yet so new and exciting, so lady like, yet so dirty, so innocent, yet so fucking hot. She was everything she'd ever dreamed she'd be and more. He felt like he'd been waiting for her his whole life and here she was, not only back in his life, in his bed and right now in his goddamn shower. He ached to tell her all this, but knew he'd come across as some kind of psycho stalker. He had to try to play it cool.

He realised this was the first time they'd stood face to face since she'd taken her boots off. They must have added a good three inches to her height as he'd thought she was taller. He towered over her. Once they were both in the shower cubicle, she was trapped in the steamy heat, with no space to get around him; he had her just where he wanted her. Her body was so curvy and inviting, brown as a nut under the streams of hot water. Her long hair was plastered to her back and her make up almost all gone. Her eyes were huge and grey, filled with expectation as she gazed up at him. He wanted her so much it hurt.

He reached for the shower gel behind her, bumping against her as he moved. He felt her soft breast and her hard nipple through the hot water. He also felt his cock twitch against her stomach. Trying to ignore it, he popped the top off the shower gel.

"Do you want to go first or shall I?"

She held out her hand.

"Well, a real gentleman should know it's always ladies first" and she held his gaze with a look that could have steamed up the room if they hadn't already been in the shower. He squeezed some gel onto her outstretched palm. She rubbed her hands together then started gently rubbing the foaming liquid over his shoulders. Her touch was soft, yet she occasionally raked her long nails over him, heightening the sensations of being washed by her to a whole new level.

"Turn round" she ordered. He had to lift his arms up in order to turn round and even then his cock brushed against her and their hips bumped as he turned. She started on his back, soaping and scratching him all the way down until she got to his lower back. Without missing a beat she started on his buttocks using the same rub and scratch combination that felt so good. Every time she clawed him, jolts of pleasure shot to his cock and he knew if he let this continue he wasn't going to last long again and he had promised to make her come.

"Oh God, Arya, that's just too good" and he lifted his arms and shuffled round to face her. His cock was now hard as iron and she hadn't even started washing it yet. She picked up the shower gel and squeezed some more onto her palm, grinning wickedly.

"But I've still got the dirtiest bit to wash" and she started soaping the springy curls at the root of his erection before palming him with the shower gel. She wasn't doing it quite the way he would have liked, but he'd look forward to teaching her how to do it properly. Maybe it was just as well she wasn't too good at it, as he would probably have come right there in the shower if she'd really known what she was doing.

"Well, if I'm dirty you must be filthy Milady" She squirmed against him as if in agreement. He reached again for the shower gel. He rubbed the gel into his hands until they became slippery and then he started on her neck, stroking his slick fingers down, working along her collar bones and down to her breasts. He massaged them firmly and as he pulled at her nipples with soapy fingers she closed her eyes and arched her back in pleasure. He rubbed the little buds between his thumb and forefinger and watched fascinated as they grew bigger under his fingers. She started pushing her hips into him needy with arousal. He kissed her gently through the falling water but gently wasn't what she wanted. He felt her mouth open under his and her tongue push hard into his mouth searching for his. Soon they were all lips and tongues and water running into their open mouths.

He slid his hands from her breasts and down the curves of her waist. Then one hand was behind her to roughly pulled her arse into him, while with the other worked soap into the little strip of soft hair that was all she had left below her white bikini line.

The first time he'd seen that, when together they'd pulled off her leather trousers and panties, he thought he must have died and gone to heaven. She'd admitted she was a virgin five minutes before and there had been no way he'd expected to see _anything,_ never mind her so shaven and highlighted in white. Now he worked his fingers between her naked pussy lips and rubbed her gently with his still soapy fingers to make sure all traces of her virginity were washed away.

Her nails were clawing at his hips now and she was grinding herself against his hand, trying to make him to go harder and faster. He had no doubt she was as ready as he was. Her eyes were still closed so he leaned into her nipping at her earlobe.

"Are you ready for more practice now?"

"I thought this _was_ practice" and she gave his cock a hard squeeze while trying to push him back against the shower door. He had to push back hard against her to reach to switch the water off and while he was doing that, she pushed open the door. Then they couldn't get out the shower quick enough and suddenly it was all towels and hands and wet hair flicking droplets of water as the two of them tried to dry each other as quickly as possible. She was trying to dry under his arms as he was trying to reach her back and the two of them were bumping and wobbling as they giggled at the awkwardness of it all.

When they weren't nearly dry enough, he dropped his towel on the floor and as quickly as he could, before she had a chance to realise what he was doing, he grabbed her around the back of her thighs and hoisted her up over his shoulder in a fireman's lift.

She squealed and wriggled and her wet hair was thrashing around down his back as she tried to escape. He couldn't resist giving her a hard slap on her arse and she yelped and struggled harder. He marched her back into the bed room and dropped her on the bed, flinging her off his shoulder so she landed in a heap on the bed. Her perfect tits bounced as she landed and her wet hair was wild and plastered to her face from being upturned so quickly. She tried to scramble back up and off the bed, but he wasn't going to let her. He was on top of her, before she managed to get her herself together. He pinned his arms either side of her, leaning above her and tried to kiss her again through all the hair.

"I'm stronger than I look" she squealed as she thrashed her head from side to side trying to prevent him from finding her lips. She tried to buck him off her with her hips. She might have been strong, but he was at least half again her weight and there was no way she could budge him. Anyway, there was no way he was letting her escape.

"Get off me!"

"No" he murmured in her ear. He couldn't find her lips, but he could find her ear. The more she tried to wriggle, the harder he leaned on her. Suddenly she stopped trying to escape. Panting she brushed the wet hair off her face before looking him directly in the eye and asking

"Will you _please _get off me?"

He eased up off her, worried he'd hurt her

"Why, is something wrong?"

"No, I just want to get on top _stupid_" and she gave him the most amazing, sexy grin.

She bucked again and this time he rolled with it so she was staring down at him, all wet hair and dangling tits. He reached up and tweaked her nipples, seeing them spring to life again under his touch. He pushed her breasts together so the nipples were almost touching and started licking them: flicking his tongue from one to the other then drawing them into his mouth, sucking each nipple until it was swollen and tender as Arya sighed and moaned above him. She was squirming against him, but his erection was under her and he needed it inside her. He lifted her hips and she took the hint, helping him by lifting herself up and backwards until his cock was pressing at her entrance and the view he had of her shaven pussy about to take his blunt cock was better than anything he'd ever seen in a porn movie.

He couldn't tear his eyes away as she pressed down on him, trying to allow him into her hot, tight space. Frustrated at not quite getting the position right she grabbed his erection none too gently with her long nails and worked at him until he was suddenly in the right position and was half inside her terrifically tight, wet hole. He felt himself groaning as she slid back up his shaft then slowly down, up again and slowly down, each time allowing him in slightly further, trying to take all of him in her greedy little pussy. God, she was a natural at this. He laid his head back and raised his eyes to her face as he watched her ride him for this first time. Her eyes were closed, concentrating and she was biting the corner of her mouth. Her nails were digging into his shoulders as she pushed herself up and down with her arms and her thighs in an achingly slow rhythm.

"Do you know there's a sweet spot, right inside you Arya, just at the front?"

"You mean G-spot stupid" she moaned, with her eyes still closed.

"Ok smartarse, but can you feel it?"

"No, I don't think so." she admitted reluctantly, her confident exterior slipping for the first time since they'd started making love.

"Well, move around, try different angles, touch yourself, until you really feel it. I want to make you come baby. Tell me what feels good." He gripped her hips ready to help lift her up if she needed him too. She bent forward then tried leaning back and the feeling on his cock inside her and the view, the fucking view, when she leant back burned on his memory. She rested one hand on his thigh behind her and with the other she rubbed herself slowly with those long nails . He knew he would never forget that image as long as he lived.

She was groaning now with every stroke, but she just wasn't going nearly as fast as he would have liked, as fast as he needed. He tried to be patient. She was obviously enjoying herself and there was no hurry, but dear God, he couldn't stand much more of this. He tried to think of something else, but the view, her moans and the feeling of her on him kept pulling him back to the moment. Gritting his teeth he asked if he could take his turn on top and as soon as she hissed "yes" he rolled her over, keeping himself buried inside her until he was on top again and his breath was coming as fast as hers. He felt her orgasm break inside her first, pulling him into his and he heard himself groaning her name again and again as his cock pulsed and spurted inside her.

Afterwards, she sighed contentedly with her head resting on his arm. Her hair was still damp, but the rest of her was warm and soft, the sunlight coming through the blinds making her tanned skin glow – all except the white bits. He loved the white bits. He played with her damp hair, running it through his fingers and asked her something that had been bothering him.

"Arya, why were you going to see a Doctor the first time we met?"

He felt her stiffen beside him. Shit, was something wrong with her? Dear God, don't let there be anything wrong with her, not now, not when he'd just been given a taste of how good things could be.

"I was going on the pill" she said quietly.

"Oh" was all he said. He was so relieved it wasn't anything serious and anyway it meant he didn't have to mess around with condoms. However, she seemed to think she had to explain and propped herself up on her elbow to talk to him.

"I decided I had to lose my virginity before I was twenty one and that was stage one of the plan." She said, tracing a lazy circle round his nipple with her nail. It took a while for his brain to register the implications of what she'd just said. He had just been happy to hear she wasn't ill, but then she dropped this bombshell. He sat up and turned to face her.

"So what was stage two?" He couldn't believe he was asking her this and was dreading her answer.

"Well, I couldn't believe my luck when I saw you in the waiting room." Smiling, she moved her nail to his other nipple.

"And?" he asked

"And I thought '_he'll do_'." And she smiled at him. The bitch actually smiled at him.

"Wait a minute Arya…" He couldn't comprehend what he was hearing: after everything that that happened today.

"_Are you telling me I was stage two of your plan?"_

"Well, yeah" and she shrugged and smiled at him again, but this time the smile wasn't quite as certain. Maybe she was beginning to realise he was FURIOUS at being used.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" he jumped out of the bed and started pulling on his trousers.

"_You used me to loose your virginity and it was all planned?"_ he yelled at her while trying to do up his zip.

"Wait Gendry it wasn't like that!" she yelled back. Looking really worried now.

"So I'm just some poor low born bastard to service Milady when she decides she wants a FUCK!" he was so angry, he could hardly spit the words out at her.

"That's not the way I meant it!" and she was on her knees on the bed now, pleading with him.

"Yes it is. What other way is there? You're leaving NOW. Put your clothes on. I'm phoning you a taxi." And he scrabbled around for his phone. Good job he had the taxi company number saved or he'd never have managed to jab in the numbers. His hands were shaking with rage. It all made sense to him now. Why she'd been so desperate for a shag, why she didn't want to wait, why _Lady Arya Stark_ would be interested in him at all.

"Gendry, will you listen to me? I was just trying to be honest with you." she was wringing her hands now, but he ignored her.

The taxi company picked up on the first ring.

"Can you send a taxi to The Forge? For Stark, going up to Winterfell House. She'll be waiting outside. Five minutes? Great!" he threw the phone down.

"Get dressed. Get. Out. Of. Here." He snarled at her through gritted teeth.

"I don't have a top, I can't…"

Before she could finish, he flung his T shirt at her. Then he threw her jeans and boots on the bed and stomped out the room, slamming the door so hard behind him he hoped the plaster would fall off the wall.

He felt like a flare had been lit in the pit of his stomach and the rage from the flare was going to burst out of him at any moment. He had never thought he would have been capable of hitting anyone in anger, but he wanted to lash out at Arya _now_. He had to get out and he staggered to the bathroom and ran the cold tap, sticking his hands under it and throwing water in his face and then, when that didn't work, putting his head under the icy flow. He gripped the sides of the washbasin and fought the urge to just tear if off the wall. He needed to kick something, to destroy, to release the rage, hurt and humiliation inside him. How could he ever have thought he had a chance with her? How could he have been so fucking stupid?

-o-

Arya scrabbled into her clothes and ran out after him. He was nowhere to be seen but she could hear the Taxi pumping its horn out in the street.

"Gendry?" she shouted. There was no answer. She didn't even know if he was still in the flat. Maybe he was outside at the taxi? She ran down the stairs. The taxi driver leaned towards the open passenger window.

"Taxi for Stark?"

She looked all around, searching for him, but there was no sign. In desperation she ran over to the taxi and pulled the passenger door open.

"Did you see a big guy come out the door just before me? Black hair, leather trousers?"

"Nah. Sorry. Look love, do you want this taxi or not?"

She _didn't_ want it, but she didn't want to go back up and sit and cry outside a locked door either. She took one final look around the street and up at the flat. The sun still shone, everything looked the same, but there was no Gendry.


	17. Chapter 17

**ARYA** SEEKS ADVICE FROM **ROBB**

Lady Catelyn Stark's rules of the house were that, if you were in the house at 7pm, you had to eat with the family in the dinning room. Friends were welcome by prior arrangement only and woe betides you if she found you trying to avoid Family Dinner.

The taxi dropped Arya off at 7.15. Too early to escape the ritual altogether, but with luck she'd miss the first course as dressing for dinner was compulsory. Jeans and Gendry's T shirt certainly weren't acceptable dinner dress, so she had to go up to her room to change. As she climbed the two flights of stairs she felt muscles in her legs and bottom, which she hadn't even realized she had until this afternoon, protest. Ohhh, she was going to be sore tomorrow, but working out with Gendry had been _much_ more fun that any other exercise she'd ever had, even if it had ended in another shouting match.

As she peeled off the skinny jeans, she thought there was something very naughty about not wearing panties and feeling Gendry's come sticky on her thighs made her feel naughtier still. Why oh why had she waiting so long to experience this? She couldn't wait to have him do again to her what he'd done that afternoon. But when was that going to be? Surely he wanted to do it again too - but he'd made her leave. _Stupid bull headed bastard boy._

He hadn't given her time to explain. While getting him to take her virginity might have been her plan at the start, she now realized how much she'd missed him and how much she wanted him, _needed him_ back in her life. She didn't see what his big problem was. Everything would be fine once she got a chance to explain to him. She would need to wait until he calmed down and then she'd sort him out. He'd already tried to stop her getting what she wanted earlier that afternoon when he'd told her they were taking things too fast and he was taking her home. Ha! Look how that had turned out! She felt confident that, after he'd calmed down; she'd be able to get what she wanted again.

She threw her jeans and his T shirt on the floor. Then she had second thoughts about leaving his T shirt lying there as the maid would pick it up and wash it in the morning. She rolled it up and stuffed it under her pillow.

There was no point trying to drag a brush through her hair, so she forced it into a very unruly ponytail, pulled on some new underwear and the first summer dress that came to hand from her wardrobe. Flat sandals and she was ready to face the family.

She arrived in the grand dining room at exactly 7.30. Her father's seat at the top of the table was vacant, unfortunately not unusual on a week night. Lady Catelyn was seated at the other end, with Robb, Sansa, Bran and Rickon scattered at various points along the table. At least there were no friends tonight. No one to have to put on a fake show of family unity for, she thought.

She immediately noticed Robb's crisp white shirt. Double cuffs, cut away collar, slightly more crushed that it should be. Yep, she'd seen that shirt on someone else today.

"Sorry I'm late mother" she muttered as she slid into the chair nearest the door.

"Well you know it's better late than never Arya as far as dinner is concerned." Lady Catelyn signaled to the serving girl to bring Arya the first course. Everyone else had finished their starter but when the smoked salmon was placed before Arya she realized how hungry she was. Amazing what an appetite _sexercise_ can give you, she giggled to herself.

"And how was your day Arya?" Lady Catelyn asked.

"Fine" Arya mumbled, not looking up from her food. Of course, Sansa was dying to tell the table about Arya's unusual departure that morning

"Oh come on Arya, you left on the back of Gendry's bike and came home in a taxi _(how the hell did she know that?)_ Nine hours later! You won't get away with just 'FINE' for all of that."

The mention of Gendry's name provoked different reactions around the table. Robb nearly choked on his drink and turned several shades paler, Rickon wanted to know if he could get a ride on the motorbike and Lady Catelyn wrinkled her nose in obvious distaste.

"Shut up Sansa!" Arya glowered at her sister. Bloody nosey parker.

Lady Catelyn snapped

"Arya, do not speak to your sister like that and anyway, I don't want to hear about your carryings on with _that boy_ at the dinner table".

So Gendry was "_that boy_" was he? Arya drew her mother a filthy look, but it was wasted as her mother had already turned her attention to Bran, asking him to update them all on his choice of post graduate University. Oxford or Cambridge again or perhaps Ivy League this time? Brandon was the brains of the family and no one doubted he would be a great success at whatever he chose to turn his hand to.

The rest of the meal passed with the usual Stark family banter. Lady Catelyn was updating Robb on his wedding plans after her most recent conference call with Freya. Arya noticed he looked exceedingly uncomfortable during that discussion. Arya was asked again what was to happen for her twenty first birthday next month. Would she be at home, or in London on the day? If she wanted a party she would need to hurry up and let her mother know as there wasn't much time to get the invites out to all the family friends who would _need_ to be invited. Eventually Arya said she might just like a family dinner with _everyone _there, but after she thought about the reality of Jon and, hopefully Gendry (assuming he was taking to her again by then), sitting down with the rest of them, perhaps that wasn't such a good idea after all.

After the main course Robb stood up and said asked their Mother to be excused as he had work to finish. Arya knew that he only had work to finish as he'd been out _shagging_ all afternoon.

Lady Catelyn excused him and presented her cheek. Robb kissed it formally before striding out of the dinning room.

Arya asked to be excused too.

"But darling, I had cook make your favourite dessert today – Eton mess." Her Mother moaned.

"I'm not hungry Mum. Sorry" and she hurried after Robb, as fast as she could without running.

He was almost at his study when she caught up with him. He was looking more like a Tully the older he got. He was about six foot tall, but had a powerful, stocky physique which made him look shorter than their father and Jon, who weren't much taller but had the lanky Stark build. The red now visible in his beard brought out the red in his hair. He didn't have a smile for her.

"Robb, can I ask your advice about something?"

He didn't stop walking but groaned "Sure, but just wait until we get inside please."

He held the door open for her.

She hadn't been in Robb's study for years. Pictures of Winterfell and the Stark family lined the walls. Black and white pictures of generations gone by and umpteen pictures of Winterfell over the years - in different seasons, lights and from different angles. It struck her for the first time how Robb _was_ Winterfell. Like their father before him, he would be Lord Stark of Winterfell and the responsibility of all this would fall on his shoulders. The rest of them could leave if they wanted, but not Robb. Suddenly she was relieved she hadn't been born first.

He slumped in his chair, looking much older than his years. His handsome face looked tired. His hair was longer than she'd ever seen it, coppery curls falling onto the collar of his shirt. His stubble had gone beyond 'designer' and he badly needed a shave. Arya noticed the beginnings of laughter lines at the sides of his brown eyes. At least, she hoped they were the result of laughter, and not stress.

"So you're Gendry's 'Lyanna' then?" he asked wearily "And I hear you've met Talisa?"

She nodded. He groaned and buried his head in his hands.

"Don't worry Robb. Gendry made me promise not to tell anyone and I won't."

"Oh great!" he said sarcastically. "That really helps me doesn't it?"

Arya felt like shouting at him '_It's your own stupid fault. Why don't you help yourself!_' but held her tongue. That wasn't why she was here.

"I just want your advice about Gendry". She was nervous and picked at a loose thread on her dress. She was unsure of how to put this.

"We were having, err… _fun_ and then we had a fight."

Robb groaned some more.

"I really don't want to hear about your _fun_ with Gendry Arya."

"Shut up! I'm not wanting your advice about _that_ -it's the fight."

"Ok. What?" and he leaned back in his chair, resting his fingers against his chin. Sometimes he was just so like their father!

"Well everything was going great until I said something he didn't like and he basically threw me out his flat."

Robb sat up. That had caught his interest.

"So what did you say that was awful enough to rile The Bull?"

"Err…" She hadn't thought about how to explain it to him. She couldn't tell him about the virginity thing so she had to tell him what happened, but not why.

"He asked me how much I liked him and I said I didn't know but that he'd do just now." She muttered

"Yeah well, I can see why he was pissed."

Arya looked blankly at him.

"But Robb, we've had like, _one date_. How am I supposed to know how much I like him?"

"Oh come on Arya. You've know him all your life. He's fancied you since God knows when and you turn up again after three years, all grown up and _feminine _for a change. Lady Arya Stark of Winterfell: heiress with the world at your pretty little feet and he's a welder with no family left. Did you really think he'd be delighted to hear you tell him _he'd do just now?"_ Robb waited for his words to sink in then added softly

"He probably bought that new motorbike just to impress you, you know."

He had bought that bike _for her_? Oh dear.

"So he told you how he feels about you. Am I right?" Robb's gaze was steady on her as he waited for her confirmation.

She thought about Gendry's '_I want everything'_ speech and nodded.

"Then he asks how you feel about him and you tell him _he'll do?_ Talk about rubbing his nose in it. What kind of heartless bitch are you?"

Arya was shocked. She was a _heartless bitch? _But she was just being honest! And it wasn't her fault her family were rich and he didn't even have a family! However, it was beginning to dawn on her that Robb was right. She _had_ acted like a heartless bitch and she hadn't thought about Gendry's feelings at all.

"Umm. Ok. I see what you mean. So what do I do about it?" she asked him. Robb groaned again, like he really didn't want to discuss this.

"Well, how were things going before you put your foot in it?"

"Great!" and she blushed beetroot.

"Then he'll be back. Don't worry. He's not going to let you get away again. He can be weird like that."

"Weird like what?" she wanted to know. Robb frowned

"You know. Once he sets his mind to something - he's determined, Bull headed, totally stubborn. Actually, now I come to think about it, I suppose if you _really_ pissed him off, he might _not_ forgive you."

WHAT? Not forgive her? She hadn't even considered that as an option. What if he wouldn't even let her explain?

"So what do I do?" She wailed.

"I don't bloody know Arya. I've got enough problems of my own and I don't know how to deal them either." They both knew what he was talking about.

"So are you going to call of the wedding?" she asked quietly.

He put his head in his hands again. "It's not that black and white Arya."

"Why not? You don't love Freya!" she was almost shouting at him now.

"I don't think she loves me either." He said quietly.

"_So what the hell are you doing Robb!?"_

"Have you any idea how much this place costs to run Arya?" and he gestured at the pictures of Winterfell all around him. She shook her head.

"I thought not. The roof needs replaced and the last estimate we got was twelve million. _Twelve million!_ A repair is going to cost one and a half and that will only hold it for a few more years. Where can we get that kind of money?"

The answer was obvious – Freya's family. They were stinking rich but Arya had heard it said the source of their money was perhaps a bit shady. It was something to do with power supplies from Russia, but nobody seemed to know exactly what.

"So, if I marry Freya I get what I need to keep this place going and she gets to be Lady Stark of Winterfell in due course. Her family is desperate for her to get a title and I've got one going spare." He shrugged as if it was all perfectly obvious.

"Oh." Was all Arya could say.

"But you're right. I don't love her and I don't know how I feel about having a son, who will be heir to Winterfell, with a woman I don't love."

He looked at her with big, brown, sad eyes.

"So what do you think I should do little sister?"

"Follow your heart Robb! Tell mum tonight the wedding's off, marry Talisa, have lots of babies and live happily ever after." And she _wanted_ to hug him and tell him everything would be alright. But she couldn't.

"Well, it's the 'happy ever after' bit that's the problem isn't it? If I can't afford to keep Winterfell running: if we have to sell it, then there's going to be no 'happily ever after' for me or any other Stark is there?

_Sell Winterfell! _The possibility had never even crossed Arya's mind.

"_Don't talk like that Robb! Dad would never talk like that!"_

"Not to _you _he wouldn't, but he knows what I'm going through. He's been here himself."

"What do you mean?" she asked, shocked.

"Oh come on Arya. Where do you think Jon came from? Do you think the Stork brought him? Dad did what he had to do. Same as me."

Robb swiveled his chair away.

"Now I really do have work to do. Good luck with Gendry." He started going through his paperwork.

Now her problem, even although potentially a lot worse than she'd originally thought, seemed pretty insignificant. Instead of felling better after talking to her big brother, she felt like she had half his worries on her shoulders now too.

She left him in his study. Suddenly she had a terrible need to see Jon.


	18. Chapter 18

**ARYA** SEEKS ADVICE FROM **JON**

Jon had moved out of the main house years before. He'd stopped coming to family dinner as soon as he was too old for their father to be able to make him. He lived in the estate employees' accommodation, about a mile away from Winterfell House itself. Arya had only seen him briefly since she'd returned from London and their other siblings had also been there. She wanted to talk to him now, alone.

As it was a beautiful summer evening she decided to walk. While the winding driveway up to the front of Winterfell was beautifully maintained, with rows of Poplar trees lining the road and perfectly manicured lawns, the back of the house was the business end. There were garages and stables and stores and greenhouses all of varying eras and designs jumbled behind. As she walked through all these buildings she waved and said a cheery "Good evening" to all the employees she passed. Gendry making her apologise for being so rude to the waitress in the Kneeling Man had made her rethink her attitude to the staff. Before she had tended to just ignore them. Having spent her whole life having people doing things for her, it had honestly never occurred to her to thank any of them. He'd opened her eyes for her.

She smiled to herself as she thought about him. Ohh, he was going to be good for her in lots of ways she was sure. She had to make sure she was going to be good for him too.

It took her about ten minutes to get out onto the road at the back of the house. The paddock for the horses was on one side and on the other a field of rapeseed. The yellow of the crop was so vibrant it didn't look real, or maybe all the colours and smells of Winterfell were making everything else just seem dull by comparison.

In the distance she could see the tree line where the forest started and before that the long, low rows of cottages where the staff employed on the estate lived. These cottages were for the maintenance and forestry staff. Gendry and Mrs Waters had lived in a cottage nearer the main gates, on the road to Winterfell village. Arya would never have had any reason to come up here, if Jon hadn't chosen to live here when he moved out of the main House. He didn't even live in a cottage – they were reserved for employees with families. He had a room at the end of a dormitory like building where the forestry workers lived. She could see the sun shine glinting off his black Land Rover, parked at the end of the building.

She still had a ten minute walk ahead of her when she heard a vehicle crunch through the gravel on the road behind her. It was another Land Rover, green this time and her Dad's Estate Manager – Jory, was driving. He stopped beside her and leaned over to open the passenger door.

"Well 'ello, Littl' Arya Underfoot! Haven't you all grow'd up! Jump in and I'll give you a lift!"

Although she'd been enjoying the walk, Arya scrambled into the passenger seat. Jory hadn't changed at all. He was still as gruff and jolly as she'd remembered.

"Great to 'ave you back Miss. It's just a shame as one of yous comes back t'other is going."

"What do you mean Jory? Who's leaving - going where?"

"Oh, Jon Miss." Jory's already ruddy cheeks flushed bright red and he looked very awkward.

"I 'ssumed he'd have told you already. I'm sure he'll tell you his self. He's the best crew boss we've ever 'ad and I'll be sorry t' see him go for lots o' reasons. Looks like he's at home anyways" and with obvious relief, Jory drew up beside Jon's Land Rover.

Jory jumped out and ran round to open the passenger door for her. He held out his hand to help her climb down but couldn't get back in his own Land Rover quickly enough - embarrassed he had let the cat out of the bag. He waved and reversed, kicking up gravel in his haste to get away.

Arya was anxious to know what was going on, but she couldn't just walk into the bunk house as you never knew what you were going to find. It was all male accommodation and they didn't tend to be too fussy about wearing clothes when they were just out of the shower or even answering the door, as Arya had found out to her cost on previous visits.

She knocked on the door but nobody came to open it. She pushed it open and shouted in, as loudly as she could

"Hello! Is anybody home?"

Two men came out of opposite doors on the corridor. One she recognised instantly as Jon's pal Sam, the other she didn't know. He was big and daft looking, but at least he was fully clothed. Sam offered to go and get Jon. The other man just nodded at her, went back into his room and closed the door.

She didn't have to wait long as Jon came sprinting down the corridor, with Sam waddling way behind.

"Arya!" he yelled and scooped her up in his arms and twirled her round; just as he used to do when she was little. She hugged him tightly and felt his stubble scrape her face and his hard muscles under his black shirt. When had all these daft boys she used to know turned into men?

"Great to see you! What do you want? You never come to visit me unless you want something!" he put her down and was laughing at her as she tried to deny it. Ohh what was the use. He was right. She always wanted him to do something for her when she came up here. Usually to fix something she'd broken. She thought of Gendry being appalled that her University friends couldn't change a wheel. She had no doubt Jon would change his own wheel, but Robb might just call road side assistance. She could imagine Robb, in his crisp white shirt, working away on his laptop waiting for someone else to come and do it for him. She made a mental note to ask Robb next time she saw him.

"I need your advice Jon" _and I need to speak to you about what Jory said_

"Sure, do you want to come in, or go for a walk?"

"I'll come in. Thanks Sam." She nodded and smiled at Sam, who blushed and went back into his room. Jon led her down the corridor, past the communal kitchen, dining room and games room to his accommodation at the end. It was like a large bed-sit. A single bed was against one wall, but he also had a desk, couch, TV and fridge. The walls were covered with ordinance survey maps, photos of people at the tops of mountains and bookshelves filled with books on climbing, exploring and travelogues. She had never noticed the contrast with Robb's study before. Maybe it was because she'd been in both rooms within the space of an hour, or maybe it was because of what Jory had said. While Robb's room was all Winterfell, Jon's was all about travel, getting away, escaping. She knew, before she'd even asked him, that he _was_ going. It was inevitable. Had always been inevitable because of her mother's attitude to him.

As soon as they sat down on his couch she blurted out

"Jory said you're going away!"

He was obviously taken aback by her outburst, but he didn't deny it.

"Yeah, he's right Arya. I am."

"But where and why Jon?" She knew _why_. What she really meant was _why now_?

He reached for her hand and squeezed it. His steely grey eyes stared into hers as if he was measuring her, considering how much he should tell her.

"I should have left a long time ago Arya. There's nothing for me here - except you and Robb and the others and you're all moving on too."

He was right, Robb was getting married, Bran was going back to Cambridge or on to study somewhere else, and she had already gone to London and virtually ignored him for three years. She felt terrible pangs of guilt again when she thought of those three years away from everyone she loved.

"I've not finally decided where I am going yet, but I'm going soon."

"How soon? Will you be here for my twenty first?" As soon as she said it she wished she hadn't. What a selfish thing to say. Her favourite brother was telling her he was leaving Winterfell and all she wanted to know was if he would be here for a stupid party.

"I'm sorry Jon" she said quickly. "I didn't mean it like that. I don't expect you to hang around for me." He didn't seem bothered by her thoughtlessness; in fact he seemed to be laughing at her again.

"Don't worry Arya, I'll be here for your birthday, but I'll be away before the wedding." So _that_ was why he was going. Things were starting to make sense.

"I know about Talisa" she blurted out. Jon couldn't have looked more shocked if she'd told him he'd won the lottery. She babbled on, embarrassed.

"I was in Gendry's flat today and Robb and Talisa were there and Gendry made me promise not to tell anyone, but he admitted you knew already." Jon furrowed his brow and rubbed his bristly chin, digesting her news.

"I didn't know he was _still_ seeing her Arya." Now it was Arya's turn to look shocked. Shit! She'd put her foot in it _again_. When did life get so bloody _complicated_? When she was in London all she had to think about was herself. Since she'd come back to Winterfell all she seemed to encounter were problems. Everything was so _difficult_ here.

"But it doesn't change anything for me Arya. You see, Robb asked me to be his best man and I said no. I think you can work out why. I'm not going to be a hypocrite and go to the wedding either. Dad will never forgive me if I don't show and I can't tell _him_ why. So I've got to make sure I'm far enough away by then that I can't come back."

Although she understood why he felt he had to go, she couldn't bear the thought of not being able to see him. Even though she'd hardly bothered with him for three years, she still knew he was around if she needed him. Now he was leaving and it sounded like he wasn't coming back.

"Where are you going to go?" she whispered, taking his other hand in hers and squeezing them both.

"I haven't totally decided. I've got an…err… friend in Scotland I go climbing with and I originally intended to go up there and start over. Do the same thing as here, you know, forestry work but live in a glen and join the mountain rescue. I think I could be happy there." Arya would have bet all her money that his 'friend' was a red haired Scottish lassie. She knew that every chance he got he was away and that he'd climbed all over Europe, but he'd never said who with – and she'd never asked.

"But there's another option. I've been in contact with this French girl on the internet - Daenerys. She's really getting a reputation in the climbing world and she's putting together a team and wants me on it, for an assault on Everest." His face lit up when he talked about her and Arya hoped this would be the option he chose. It seemed much more exciting than a rainy glen in Scotland and, maybe more importantly, it was further way. You couldn't get a better excuse not to attend a wedding than being in the Himalayas could you?

He saw the miserable expression on her face and stroked her cheek.

"You know I'll miss you and if you ever need me Arya, I'll be there for you. You know that don't you?"

She sniffed and nodded. She felt like she was about to cry for the umpteenth time that day. He put his arm around her shoulder and gave her a cuddle. He smelled of pine trees and cut wood and outdoors.

"Right, Arya, that's not why you came _all this way_ to visit me." His good natured sarcasm and the twinkle in his eyes made her smile again.

"You said you needed my advice - so ask me!"

"Well, I've started going out with Gendry". Jon raised his eyebrows in surprise. "That was quick. You've only been back a week."

"Ten days actually" she said

"Well, good for you both. He's a great guy. You couldn't get a more loyal friend and I hear the ladies _love_ him". Jon grinned mischievously at Arya and she blushed scarlet.

"I don't want to hear about _that_!" but maybe she did. Later.

"So that's why I'm here - you know Gendry better than I do." Although she got a little thrill from thinking to herself, _in one way I know him __**much**____better__ than you do_. "The problem is … he kind of threw me out his flat this afternoon. We all know he can be really stubborn and Robb says that he's so bull headed, he might not forgive me."

Jon looked confused.

"Whoa. Go back. Tell me why he threw you out his flat and what he might not forgive you for?"

"Well, so we obviously haven't been going out long…" One date only – but she wasn't going to tell Jon that

"…and he got really serious and told me how much he likes me and I… I said something stupid." She pulled at the same loose thread on her dress she'd found when she'd told this bit to Robb, only it was even harder now as Robb had opened her eyes to how thoughtless and selfish she had been.

"Well, if you want me to give you advice you need to tell me what stupid thing you said Arya." Jon squeezed her hand again to encourage her to go on.

"I basically… I basically said that I wasn't sure how I felt about him but that he would do just now. He didn't like that and totally went off the deep end and…well, he told me to get out." Even as she said the words aloud she felt ashamed of herself.

"Oh Arya, that was the worst thing you could have said to him." But although Jon's disappointment with her was obvious in his voice and in his eyes, he still held her hands.

"You know, Gendry and I have a lot in common; I don't know who my mother was, he doesn't know his father, but Arya, at least I have you and Robb and all the rest. Gendry's got no-one else and everyone wants to belong don't they? I'm leaving here because I don't feel I belong enough and I think Gendry's looking for somewhere or someone too. Do you know he's got that picture I took of the two of you at the Festival three summers ago all framed and everything?"

Arya certainly did know and she was beginning to see the picture less as an embarrassing reminder of how pathetic she was at seventeen and more as proof of Gendry's feelings for her. Maybe even proof of her feelings for him: feelings she hadn't acknowledged before.

"I don't think anyone can doubt how Gendry feels about you, but you need to really think hard about how you feel about _him._"

She gulped. Jon sounded so serious.

"You need to remember that we're all older than you Arya and we're all looking for something different, something more than we wanted when we were twenty one. Robb's getting married, I'm going away because I need to find something for myself and Gendry… I think you need to ask Gendry what _he_ wants and decide if it's what _you_ want too. Just don't mess him around Arya. You know he's in love with you and you owe it to him to either go into this with your eyes open, or, if you don't feel the same, just leave him alone."

Arya nodded solemnly. She thought she already knew what her decision would be.

"But there's more for you to consider than just how you feel about him…" Jon sighed, after watching her nod in agreement.

"…Money."

"_I'm not interested in money!_" Arya was horrified Jon could think she was a gold digger. That was Sansa's goal in life and definitely not hers.

"_But you only think that because you've got it!_ Listen to me. Someday, and maybe sooner than any of us expect, Robb and his wife are going to be in charge here and you'll be relying on someone other than your father to pay your bills."

Arya thought guiltily about the generous allowance that just appeared in her bank account every month and of her platinum MasterCard and how freely she used it without giving a thought to who actually paid the bill.

"Sansa's going to make sure she marries money, Bran's going to get some brilliant job, Rickon will have a job here if he wants it – there's always work to be done running the estate - but what about you Arya? Do you want to stay here with Robb's wife running Winterfell? If you stick with Gendry, there's no doubt he'd worship you. God knows, he already does, but you're not used to living in a flat, cooking and cleaning and working for a living. Is that what you really want?"

Arya knew she wanted Gendry, _really_ wanted him, but Jon was asking her what she wanted from the rest of her life and that was a question she couldn't answer.

Jon gave her another brotherly cuddle.

"I've given you a lot to think about haven't I Arya? I'm sorry to be so…so, realistic. I wish I could just give you a hug and just tell you that everything's going to be alright, but life's not like that, is it?" No, Arya thought, it certainly wasn't – at least, not anymore.

"Come on, cheer up. Do you want a game of pool before I walk you home?" Jon asked.

As they got up to go to the games room to play pool, she noticed he had a poster for the Winterfell Festival she'd helped organize three years before, sellotaped to the back of his door. Stuck onto the corner was a fading photo she'd taken of Robb, Gendry and Jon just before she'd made Gendry get his picture taken with her. They all looked so much younger; Robb had really short hair and was goofing around, looking so carefree, Gendry had his stupid long hair hiding half his face and Jon, well, Jon had a far away look in his eyes.


	19. Chapter 19

ARYA doesn't ask for, but gets advice from SANSA anyway

Arya lay back in the bath, bubbles up to her chin. Her body was aching; her arms from holding onto Gendry's bike, her thighs from making love with Gendry and her head ached from all that talking to Gendry, Robb and Jon. Actually, she thought, her heart ached too; for Jon because she was losing him, for Robb because he was in such a dreadful position and for Gendry – well it just ached for him.

When she closed her eyes, it was his face she saw as it had been that afternoon, effused with a mixture of lust and love, but then it changed, twisting with anger and hurt. She hadn't registered the hurt at the time – just the anger, but now her two brothers had pointed it out to her, his hurt at her thoughtlessness was obvious and she was ashamed.

She swore to herself she'd make it up to him. Robb had called her a heartless bitch but she knew she _could_ be a better person. When she woke up tomorrow, she was going to be a girl Gendry would be proud of.

She must have drifted off to sleep as the water was cold when she awoke with a start. She stirred herself to get out of the bath and dried herself as briskly as she could to try and heat herself up. When she finished she dropped the towel on the floor at her feet, for the maid in the morning. Then she remembered what Jon had said about cooking and cleaning for herself and she thought _Why not start now?_ She had no idea where the damp towel should go, so she just folded it and hung it over the side of the bath. Then she took a new one from the cabinet and hung it over the towel rail. It wasn't much, but it was her first baby step on the road to growing up and being responsible for herself.

After drying her hair she pulled on Gendry's T shirt. It came down past her bum and smelled of _him. _She hugged it to herself thinking about how wonderful he'd made her feel that afternoon. He had been so gentle _with_ her, but so also so hard _on_ her. She had to hope he would accept her apology and that they could start over again.

She picked up her phone for the first time since that morning. There were umpteen e-mails and texts. Most were from her London friends and seemed strangely insignificant to her now. Two weeks ago she would have checked her phone every few minutes and would have been texting back furiously, but she felt as if the whole foundation of her world had shifted since coming back to Winterfell. London was already beginning to loose its sparkle.

The only text she wanted to receive wasn't there. She hadn't expected Gendry to contact her – why should he? – But all the same she _hoped _he might have. She decided to text him, but to say what? She could only say everything she wanted to face to face, so if she was going to send a text the only option was to keep it simple. She sent 'Sorry' and added one 'x' at the end. There was no reply. If he didn't reply straight away she suspected he wasn't going to. She needed another plan and she drifted off to sleep trying to work out how she was going to get him back.

-o-

The next morning was another fine summer one. As soon as she woke up she checked her phone. Still nothing from him. A plan had half formed during the night – she would need to go and see him, make sure he couldn't refuse to listen to her, but exactly _how_ she was going to make sure he heard her and _what_ she was going to say to him, she hadn't quite worked out.

She wasn't going to get much peace to do it today either as she'd promised Sansa she'd go on a spa day with her. This was supposed to be a 'bonding day' for Freya and her friends before the wedding, but after the events of yesterday, the thought of spending a whole day with Freya, knowing how Robb felt, made her feel physically sick.

Even over breakfast Sansa talked non stop. There were going to be four bridesmaids; Allyria Dayne, Jayne Poole, Margery Tyrell and _of course_ Sansa would be chief bridesmaid_. _Three years away in London seemed to have been long enough to allow Arya to escape being included. There apparently _had_ to be four bridesmaids, to match the four groomsmen – so the photos looked perfect. The four Groomsmen were to be Bran, Rickon and Freya's two brothers. Sansa never even mentioned Jon and seemed to be assuming Bran would be Robb's best man. Lady Cateyln would have had a fit if The Bastard, had been best man, so it had possibly not even entered Sansa's pretty little head that Robb might chose who HE wanted, rather than who his mother preferred.

To Arya, Jon was every bit as much their brother as Bran and Rickon and it hurt to realise Jon wasn't even a consideration in this wedding. Jon hadn't mentioned what Robb's reaction had been when he had declined the honour of being Best Man and Sansa was such a nosey parker, that asking about Jon might have involved Arya in having to answer some very awkward questions. Arya wasn't about to put herself in that position.

The wedding was to have a Scottish theme. Apparently Freya's father had wanted the whole wedding to take place in the Scottish Highlands were he'd recently bought a hunting estate, but her mother had been determined all the guests _had_ to see the Winterfell Estate (_see what Freya's money was buying _– thought Arya). So the compromise was a Scottish wedding in Winterfell. It sounded totally over the top to Arya – kilts, bagpipes and a ceilidh, but as Freya's family were apparently paying for the full cost of the wedding, Robb had agreed they could have whatever they wanted.

At least, once they were in Sansa's new Mercedes SL, with the top down, talking wasn't so easy. Arya was grateful to be able to just listen to the sounds of the road and the traffic and not have to listen to Sansa try and fill her in on three years of gossip.

The whole day would be spent picking over every detail of this bloody wedding and there was no escaping any of it. The spa was in a Five Star country house hotel, with an infinity pool overlooking the hotel's golf course. Everything screamed 'luxury' and, given her new found concern for money; Arya hoped that Freya was paying for this and not the Stark's. She though about Robb and his damn roof and her stomach tightened in a knot.

The other four girls were sitting in the elegant foyer having coffee when Sansa and Arya arrived. Arya couldn't help thinking of Gendry when she ordered her skinny soy latte. In The Kneeling Man he had given her a choice - black or white. Well, they might be the only options for Gendry, but she was going to have exactly what she wanted. _Stupid bulled headed boy._ But just thinking about him again made her ache with regret and desire.

Despite herself, Arya liked Allyria and Margaery, who were both also from old, moneyed families, but didn't flaunt their wealth or status, not like snobby Sansa, her best friend Jayne and mega rich Freya. Arya had been ready to feel sorry for Freya, who was not marrying for love, but out of necessity according to Robb, but the girl seemed only able to talk about herself - and only be interested in what and how much a person had. Any goodwill Arya held towards her quickly vanished.

Once they were all changed into their fluffy towelling robes, Freya told them all what she had booked for them. First came the 'messy stuff' she called it. They were to swim, sauna, exfoliating massage, wax if they needed it, eyebrows and anything else they wanted. Then lunch. After lunch came the 'good stuff' apparently. They were all to get manicures, pedicures, spray tans, make up and hair styled as a first practice for the wedding. It all seemed such a lot of effort to Arya for a Tuesday. Who was going to see her make up and hair on a Tuesday night? Why hadn't Freya booked it for a Friday when at least she had the chance to go out to show off all that effort?

When Arya mentioned this, all the other girls looked horrified that she had _dared_ to criticise the wedding plans. Had she not read the e-mail? Of course Arya hadn't. The spa day was to be followed by a 'meet the groom/best/man/brothers' dinner so they could all get to know each other before The Big Day. Oh God, the day was going to go on forever.

Arya tried to get out of the dinner. She wasn't a bridesmaid, so why did she _have_ to go? She asked Freya if she could just give the meal a miss – after all she wasn't part of the wedding party and didn't want to mess up the seating plan. Freya didn't react as Arya had hoped. Instead of letting her off the hook, Freya startled Arya by exclaiming

"Oh you can't now sister - you lucky girl!" and giving her a big bear hug. Then Freya started bouncing up and down on her lounger at the side of the pool, clapping her hands in excitement.

"Oh, I've been dying to tell you all and I was trying to keep it a surprise until tonight, but I just can't! Robb has chosen his best man, and it's not Bran, so guess what Arya? We need another bridesmaid – _you're on the team!"_

Sansa, Allyria, Jayne and Margaery were now also bouncing up and down on their loungers – shrieking with delight and all talking at once.

"Isn't it great Arya…we didn't want you to be left out…oh we're going to have so much fun…you'll _love_ the Scottish theme…so who's the Best Man?… oh, tell us Freya!"

Arya's heart sank. Oh no. Another three months of torture; dress fittings, seating plans, hair trials and endless spa days. She couldn't think of any way to get out of it and then a terrible realisation hit her – Freya was going to announce to the other girls that Jon was going to be Best Man. Oh God, Robb hadn't told her Jon had refused. How was Robb going to get himself out of this mess?

Freya was obviously enjoying having news that the other girls (with the exception of Arya) were _desperate_ to hear. Freya strung the suspense out as long as possible.

"Well, Robb says he's really handsome and will look _so_ good in a kilt…"

"Oh tell us… is it Theon?…is it?... you're killing us Freya!" the other girls shrieked

"No, not Theon but Robb says he's been his best friend since they were boys, _although none of us have ever met him before…_"

Arya's heart started hammering against her chest. It wasn't Theon and it couldn't be Jon either as everyone knew him, which only left …

"_Gendry Waters!"_

Freya was clapping her hands in delight again but Arya wanted to run away and hide. Shit. Why hadn't Gendry mentioned this? All he'd said about Freya was he'd never met her – he never said he was going to be _Robb's Best Man! _Shit, shit, shit!

Sansa recovered from her obvious shock more quickly than Arya.

"_Arya and I have met him!_" and now Sansa was the centre of attention. She loved having some fresh tit bits of gossip for the girls.

"Oh he's gorgeous all right, a bit rough but really sexy and he's got a motorbike that Arya was out on _all day_ yesterday – isn't that right Arya?"

And then all the attention was focused on Arya. She wanted the ground to open up and swallow her. They were all hungry for details and what could she tell them? That she and Gendry had had one date, that she'd given him her virginity yesterday, but today they weren't even talking and she didn't know if he'd ever talk to her again?

Arya knew she was flushed scarlet and "Umm, yeah" was all she could mumble in answer to Sansa's question.

The girls smelled a story and wanted _details, _details that Arya didn't want to give them. So it was left to Sansa to tell them all about Gendry being a welder and _working _for a living, growing up in a tied cottage in the Winterfell grounds with his mother _who was a barmaid. _While the facts were accurate, Arya couldn't stand the way Sansa was so condescending about Gendry, his upbringing and his poor, dead mother. Arya was either going to have to punch Sansa or escape. It was easier to escape, throwing off her robe and executing a perfect dive into the infinity pool before swimming so many lengths her legs were shaking when she eventually dragged herself out.

None of the other girls had even bothered moving and were still sitting gossiping by the side of the pool. Mercifully they had moved on from Gendry. The conversation had turned to the dresses for the bridesmaids. Despite herself Arya wanted to know what she was going to be forced to wear. There was every possibility Freya was going to try to make them all look as awful as possible.

As Arya dried herself she heard Freya say that the bridesmaid's dresses were all going to be green, but that Sansa would have a different style to mark her out as chief bridesmaid. Two of the remaining four would be plain green and the other two patterned. Arya had no doubt that she, as the outsider and Jayne, as the plainest would get the worst dresses. Sure enough: they were to get the patterned dresses. Jayne asked what the pattern was to be – _acorns _Freya said. Apparently the hunting lodge her family had bought in Scotland was called Acorn Hall, so, to tie in with the Scottish theme, the dresses _had_ to have acorns on them. Arya didn't care: Freya could make her look as ugly as she wanted, but poor Jayne looked as if she was about to cry.

There was no more time for gossip until lunch as they were called for their massages. The masseuse certainly knew what she was doing. After having all that remained of her fake tan sloughed off, to her surprise, Arya felt herself relaxing completely under the woman's expert hands.

Next she was given a choice of waxing or going back to join the girls for a coffee. In order to try to avoid their company for a while longer, she opted for the wax. The beautician grumbled that she didn't have much to go on, given that it was less than a fortnight since her last wax in London, so Arya found herself agreeing to the full 'Hollywood' bikini wax for the first time in her life. The process was much more intimate than her usual 'landing strip' and she found herself repeating '_Gendry will love it, Gendry will love it'_ to herself to take her mind off the pain and the embarrassment. She only hoped to God she got the chance to show it to him.

When they all met up again for lunch, they were the only diners on a Tuesday lunchtime in the beautiful, Victorian conservatory. Freya ordered vintage champagne for them all and it wasn't long before the fizz hitting their empty stomachs loosened their tongues and the conversation became more and more risqué and eventually turned back to the mysterious Gendry Waters. This time there was no fobbing them off. Arya had to tell them _something,_ so she told them about the race with Joffrey. The other girls all knew Joffrey as Sansa used to go out with him, but Arya's story just seemed to make everyone _even more_ interested in hearing about Gendry. In a desperate attempt to steer the conversation away from him, Arya asked Sansa why she'd broken up with Joffrey. For the first time, she started telling them all why…

"Well, I'd be out with Joffrey and he would be rude to me. Actually he was rude to everyone. He never paid me any attention, unless there was someone else there and I don't think he has a kind bone in his body, but Sandor was a true gentleman. He always held the door open for me, helped me in and out of cars, and took my jacket. Everything Joffrey didn't do. And I found myself asking Joffrey to take me out in London, just so I could see Sandor."

Apparently Sansa had a dirty little secret and the champagne was making her talk about it…

"Who's Sandor?" they all wanted to know.

"He works for the Lannisters. 'Close Protection' Joffrey called it. Like a body guard. Joffrey doesn't have one all the time like some of the Lannisters do. With Joffrey it was only when we were out at night in London. I think Joffrey liked to have him there to show off to me."

"So what was he like?" The thought of snobby Sansa lusting after a mere _employee _had definitely pricked Arya's interest.

"Oh, you can imagine. Ex Special Forces, Joffrey said. Even taller than your Gendry and as well built, but older. He had a terrible scar on his face and the side of his head, from a burn I think. That just made him look meaner and scarier." Sansa was smiling wistfully as she thought about the bodyguard.

"I never imagined you liking mean and scary" said Arya, while thinking to herself – _all you like in men is money, a title and the stupider they are - the better you like them_.

"Oh I don't. But as it turned out he wasn't the mean and scary one – that was Joffrey.

"So what happened?" Jayne asked. It wasn't just Arya who was dying to hear about Sansa and her bit of rough.

"Oh it was awful. We were in the West End seeing a show and we bumped into his uncles Tyrion and Jamie - _did I mention Jamie's a __total dream__ by the way?_ - And they asked us to join them for dinner. So we did and they were great company, but Joffrey kept trying to show off and the more he tried to show off the more they put him down - particularly Tyrion. I mean, he did it in a funny way, making us all laugh at Joffrey, who was being an arse anyway, but Joffrey can't laugh at himself and he just kept drinking and getting meaner. Eventually I managed to get Joffrey to agree to go home, but he was livid and drunk. We weren't even out of the restaurant when… when I suggested that if didn't take himself so seriously, maybe try and laugh at himself a bit then things would be easier for him and he.. he tried to hit me."

"_Tried to hit you?"_ Arya and Margaery repeated together – both equally shocked.

"Sandor stepped between us and caught Joffrey's arm before he managed to land the blow. I though he was going to break Joffrey's wrist. As he grabbed Joffrey he pushed me back behind him to protect me and I felt so safe with him."

"So…?"

"So Sandor marched Joffrey back through the restaurant to his Uncles with his arm twisted behind his back. He forced Joffrey to sit down at their table and left his Uncles to take care of him, while Sandor drove me home."

"And…?" Arya wished Sansa would stop trailing off dreamily as she was telling the story.

"The whole journey back to Winterfell, he kept looking at me in the rear view mirror as he drove me home. He had never done that before, when Joffrey was there. And I was looking at him, the way he was looking at me and he was licking his lips. I thought I was going to combust. It was so intense…"

"And?" Arya was nearly shouting at her sister in frustration

"I asked him to pull off the road. He stopped the car in a dark lane and came round held the door open for me, I didn't get out, and I just unzipped his trousers and gave him a blow job while he stood at the side of the car.

"WWWhaaattt?" Arya spluttered. "Sansa, that's not funny. What really happened?"

"I told you, I gave him a blow job. It was the least I could do after what he'd done for me."

Arya was gob smacked. She thought she knew Sansa well enough to know when she was kidding, but stuck up Lady Sansa and 'blow job' were just two things that should NEVER go together.

"No way! You gave Joffrey's bodyguard a blow job in a car in a lane? Oh My God. How can you be so casual about this? I thought you were going to stay virginal until you married your Prince? When did all that change?"

"Nothing's changed! Of course I'm still a virgin and I will remain so until I am married. Don't you act so '_holier than thou_' Arya, you must have been doing the same for years - remember 'rainbow parties' at school?"

"No. What's a 'rainbow party'?" Arya asked, bewildered.

"Oh come on. We all did it. Parties with the boys when you were sixteen? All the girls wear a different colour of lipstick and at the end of the night; the man with the most colours around his dick is the winner. Come on Arya, you can't actually have sex before marriage but you've got to keep them happy" said Margaery rolling her eyes in disbelief at Arya.

All the girls were looking at Arya as if she had two heads.

The fuzz in her head caused by the champagne, made Arya wonder if she had entered a parallel Universe, where Sansa gave blow jobs to bodyguards in the street and every one else was still a virgin. The other girls had all gone to posh, fee paying, all girls' schools. Is that what Daddy's money was spent on? These girls _were_ from a different planet. She had never done _that_ to any boy – ever, and they had all been doing it since they were at school? Arya was shocked.

Damn the champagne. Arya couldn't herself blurting out

"I've never given a man a blow job before!"

Far from laughing at her as she half expected, the older girls seemed delighted to be able to pass on their knowledge and proceeded to give Arya the benefit of their experience. All she could say was '_Really?_, '_No way_!', '_You didn't'_, '_Yuk – but if you're sure_' and the rest of the afternoon passed in a haze of champagne, hair, nails, sex tips, make up and more champagne. Arya would never have thought she could have enjoyed a Spa day with these girls. But OMG she did.


	20. Chapter 20

**Gendry** felt like shit. Hung-over didn't begin to describe how awful he felt. Dying maybe came close.

After Arya left on Monday evening, he'd paced the flat cursing himself for being so gullible and her for being such a scheming bitch. He'd toyed with the idea of going for a run - that always helped calm him and sort out his thoughts, but instead sat on the couch with the two beers he and Arya hadn't finished earlier. He couldn't throw them back quickly enough – trying to find something to dull the pain. Next thing he remembered was waking up, face down on the couch, TV. still on and his alarm going off in the bedroom. Why the hell hadn't he just gone for a run?

He'd had to walk to work as there was no doubt he was still too drunk to drive. The beautiful morning hadn't done anything to improve his mood. In the past week he'd allowed himself to make all these plans for the summer and now he was left with nothing. Well, he was left with a bike loan. Selfish cow. But even as he called her that, he couldn't bring himself to mean it. The fact was, she was just too good for him. Too beautiful, too rich, too perfect. God, there was no doubt he'd fallen hard. After three years she was even better than he'd imagined. He'd opened himself up to her, dared to hope that something could finally work out right for him and look what happened. She'd stuck a knife in and twisted it. "_He'd do_". That was the story of his live. Never good enough.

At work he got stuck into the one job he could do without having to talk to anyone. The garage accumulated lots of scrap metal and there was always a pile of the big stuff to be cut up for the recycling skip. It was a filthy job and he usually put it off as long as possible, but today it would suit him just fine. He fired up the oxy acetylene cutting gear and got to work. Destroying things was definitely going to give him some job satisfaction today.

A few hours into it, he was interrupted by someone shouting at him. He switched off the gas and took the welding helmet off. The last person he expected to see waiting on him was Robb Stark. As Robb was holding a cardboard tray with coffee cups and food he was a very welcome sight.

"Hey mate, thought you might like some breakfast?"

Gendry's stomach rolled at the mention of food, but knew something greasy might stem his hangover. Robb had brought breakfast rolls for them both and the two of them sat down on a wall in the sunshine to eat.

"God, this is just what I need. I've got a hell of a hangover, but what brings you out here with food?"

The Starks were probably Baratheons Garage's best customers. They all drove Mercedes and never kept a car for long before they were onto the next model. Gendry's boss, Tobho Mott just about pissed himself with excitement whenever one of the Starks appeared. While Gendry sometimes caught sight of a Stark in the showroom, or the service yard, it was unusual, even for Robb, to seek him out at his work. Sure enough, Robb wanted something.

"Mate. I need a favour. A _big _favour."

Gendry thought it was ironic that Robb, with all his money and position was the one always asking favours from Gendry and not the other way round. Could he use his flat, borrow his bike, give him an alibi?

"Sure. Whatever." Robb and Jon were Gendry's best friends and he already knew, before Robb even asked him, that his answer would be yes.

Robb seemed to be having a hard job coming to the point. He kept sipping his coffee and taking more bites of his roll, without telling Gendry what it was he wanted. Eventually he came out with it,

"Umm, I need a Best Man for this bloody wedding and Jon said 'No'."

Gendry wasn't surprised. He hadn't seen Robb and Jon together since the 'finding Tulisa in the bath' incident and he hadn't been about to ask either of them if they'd made up. It was obvious now they hadn't, although it seemed Robb had at least spoken to Jon – only to be told 'No'. That was typical bloody Jon. Everything was either black or white with him; there was no grey, no room for discussion. When it came to anything that involved the honour of the Stark family – then there would be no compromise. Ever. It had always surprised Gendry that, although Jon was the black sheep of the family and had been treated like shit by Lady Stark, he was the one who held the Stark name in the highest regard, not Robb.

"Ok, just tell me what I need to do and I'll do it. No problem." As soon as he said it, Gendry did think of a nasty little problem

"Err, does your Mother know about this? I don't think she likes me very much."

Robb groaned and put his head in his hands

"She doesn't like anyone. Do you think she would have been delighted if I had Jon as my Best Man? But it's my bloody wedding and I'm going to need all the help I can get just to get through it. She's got her way on everything else, but she can go fuck herself if she thinks I'm giving in on this. Oh, and by the way, you'll need to wear a kilt."

Oh wonderful, thought Gendry, Lady Catelyn hates me already and this is going to make her hate me more. Now Robb tells me I have to wear a skirt too. He's gonna owe me _big_ for this. But there was still more to come from Robb;

"Oh and I need you to start all this 'Best Man' shit today. There a dinner we've to go to – five pm tonight."

"Ah, well, I can't. I don't even finish work 'till five" Gendry said, hoping the relief in his voice wasn't too obvious, but Robb wasn't going to let him wriggle out of it that easily.

"I'll speak to Tobho Mott. Don't worry, he'll let you off. I'll pick you up here at four? I can drive you back to your flat, quick shower and we'll still be there for five. And you'll need to wear something smart."

"Great" Gendry said sarcastically. The good news just kept on coming. Now he had to wear something 'smart'. Gendry didn't do smart. He hoped the suit he bought for his mother's funeral still fitted.

"And one last thing…" said Robb as he stood up to leave. "Arya told me about your fight yesterday."

Gendry felt the blood drain from his face. Good God she'd told Robb he wasn't good enough for her? Was it not enough for her to humiliate him to his face, was the bitch trying to humiliate him in the eyes of his friends too?

"I told her to get her act together. I don't want to make excuses for her behaviour, but having Sansa and my Mother as role models hasn't exactly done her any favours. I don't want to see her end up like them, so if you could sort her out Mate it would be a big favour. See you at four."

_Bugger Robb and his bloody favours_.

-o-

It was just after five by the time Robb and Gendry arrived for the dinner. Mercifully Gendry's hangover had finally disappeared and he was wearing his one suit, well actually he was wearing the trousers. The jacket was now too tight across his shoulders, so he was carrying it, in the hope that slinging it over his shoulder might pass for nonchalance. The only tie he had was funereal black, so he'd left that off, just leaving his black shirt open at the neck.

As the drove up to the imposing Hotel in Robb's Mercedes, Gendry felt acutely aware of the engrained oil he hadn't been able to scrub off his hands during the quick shower, his stubbly chin he hadn't had time to shave and his jacket that didn't fit. Never mind his jacket - _he_ just didn't fit in places like this. He thought again of Arya telling him _he'd do. _ Yeah, now _he'd do_ as a last minute stand-in Best Man as well. Arya had really hit the nail on the head hadn't she?

God he was nervous. In the car he'd asked Robb who was going to be at the dinner and at least Lady Catelyn wasn't making an appearance. Apparently it was just the bridesmaids and groomsmen. He knew Bran and Rickon well enough and apparently Freya's two brothers were alright, but Robb had rolled his eyes and pulled faces when describing the bridesmaids. They all sounded like Sansa, but mercifully Arya wasn't involved; that would have been the one thing that would have made Gendry refuse to go to this dinner. He wasn't ready to face her: the humiliation still too raw.

Everyone else was already in the bar when the two of them arrived. As soon as he walked into the room his eyes caught Arya's. "Fucking hell" he swore under his breath and drew Robb a dirty look. Robb flushed and muttered

"Didn't know mate… honestly" as they walked up to the bar.

He hadn't thought it was possible, but Arya was looking even more gorgeous than she had the day before. Her hair was falling around her shoulders in ringlets and the smokey eye shadow was gone. She simply looked beautiful. Her face was flushed and she looked pretty surprised to see him too. He _had _to ignore her, she had made it quite clear he wasn't in her league and, as there was nothing he could do to make himself richer or smarter or highborn like she was, what were his options? Only harden his heart and try to move on.

Gendry paid great attention to the Ladies he was introduced to, he shook each hand offered to him, kissed them all politely on the cheek and tried to be as charming as possible – even to Sansa. When Robb said

"And you know Arya…" Gendry just nodded an acknowledgement and only made eye contact for the briefest possible time. That was long enough to see the dismay in her eyes. So it would be obvious to everyone he was treating her differently than the other girls, _so what? _He wasn't about to kiss her cheek and tell her he was pleased to see her, _she could go to hell_. He turned his back on her dismissively and started flirting with the other girls. The flattery and small talk just flowed off his tongue. Now that _was_ something he was good at…

_didn't they all look lovely… they'd been hearing about him all afternoon?...then they must have had a great afternoon…yes, he would be wearing a kilt to the wedding and it was a good job he wasn't a true Scotsman as he was shy…no really he was…_

He'd met girls like this a hundred times before and knew exactly what they wanted to hear - how wonderful they were. Ordinary girls didn't believe all his bullshit, but posh girls had grown up _knowing _how special they were and fell for it every time. Posh girls also liked to pretend they liked a bit of rough, so he'd order a pint of Guinness, throw in a few smutty jokes and, _if _they asked him anything about himself they got bullshit about his bike and being in a band. Today was even easier than usual as the girls were all more than a little drunk. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Robb talking to the barman and the ice bucket filled with champagne bottles was removed from the end of the bar – so Robb had noticed too.

The more the other five girls giggled and flirted with him, the more Arya's face fell. That just encouraged him to flirt even more, pointedly ignoring her, until she eventually stomped off to talk to Bran and Rickon. Gendry wondered if it was wrong to enjoy watching her suffer. Revenge might not be very gallant, but it sure as hell was making him feel better.

Eventually they were told their dinner was ready and, taking two of the ladies by their elbows, Gendry escorted them towards the dinning room. Just as they were about to enter, Arya appeared in front of them and hissed

"_I need to speak to you."_

He deliberately didn't let go of Sansa and Margaery's arms but smiled, said "Sure" and waited for her to talk.

"_Alone_" she hissed at the three of them.

"Ladies, I am sorry, It seems Arya needs me, so I'll see you shortly, ok?" and he made a point of kissing them both on the cheek before he let go of their arms. Then he playfully slapped their bottoms, causing them both to squeal in delight, as they teetered on into the dinning room, leaving him alone in the hall with Arya.

"_What the hell are you doing and why didn't you tell me you were Robb's Best Man?"_

Arya's mouth was all pouty and her eyes were shining, either with anger or too much champagne. Despite himself, he felt his cock twitch with desire. While he felt guilty for playing games with her, she hadn't cared about how he would feel after she'd _used _him.

"Look Arya, Robb didn't even ask me until this morning – so I _couldn't_ have told you and what do you mean, '_what am I doing?' _ You've had your fun with me – you got what you wanted. I told you how I felt about you and you obviously don't feel the same about me – so that's it. No hard feelings. We've both moved on and I'm just having some fun myself."

"_Ohhh you bastard! I gave you my virginity!"_

"Oh please – you wanted rid of it – you said so. I was just in the right place at the right time to fit into your little plan."

Gendry set his mouth in a hard line. God, if she'd just said she was sorry and told him she felt _something_ for him, he couldn't have stopped himself falling at her feet – but she had a bloody cheek. She still hadn't even apologized, but at least she had the good grace to look embarrassed.

"Ok, I'm sorry. There. I've said it. I was trying to be honest with you, but you never let me explain that …yes… I started out with a plan but I didn't expect to feel so… so damn _wonderful_ with you. Jon says I need to work out what I want and that we need to talk…"

_So even fucking Jon had an opinion on this now?! What was this - fucking have a laugh at Gendry day?_

She was walking towards him with that swaying; hip rolling walk he'd first noticed in the Doctor's a week ago. Then her hands were on his chest, playing with the buttons on his shirt. Close up he could feel her swaying slightly. She was definitely drunk.

"Did I tell you that you look really hot tonight baby? I like the designer stubble." she purred, while undoing the next button on his shirt. He grabbed her wrists.

"_Want to use me again and tell your brothers all about it – is that it?_" And he stepped backwards, away from her and into the dining room. He needed to put some distance between them.

There were only two seats left at the table, opposite each other – at least that was better than beside her. He grabbed the nearest chair and pulled it out for her to sit down on. He engaged those on either side of him in conversation and tried to avoid looking across at her. She knew he was trying to avoid her and asked him to pass the salt first and then the butter. The first time she caught his eye she mouthed "_sorry_". He ignored her. The second time, she poked the tip of her tongue out of her mouth and ran it around the inside of her lips. That was harder to ignore and, despite himself, he felt his cock harden.

Twenty minutes into the meal he became aware she was getting out of her seat. He had to look to see what she was doing and he watched her disappear, rather unsteadily, out of the dinning room. Shit, she was drunk. She could fall down the stairs: anything could happen to her. He had to make sure she was alright, so he quickly made his excuses and followed her. It didn't take him long to catch up with her. She was standing on one leg, holding onto the wall, fiddling with the strap on her sandal with the other hand.

"Here let me" and he bent down and slipped the strap back over her heel. As the made to get up, he was aware his face was just level with the top of her legs and memories of kissing her there just yesterday came flooding back. He wanted to grab her arse, press his face into her dress and inhale her animal scent, but instead he just stood up.

"Are you ok? You seem a little unsteady on your feet."

"I'm fine, I just need to go to the toilet." But as she let go of the wall, she swayed again and he caught her arm to steady her.

"It's these bloomin' heels" she said. _Hmm_**,** he thought. _Really? Nothing to do with drinking champagne all day? _

"I'll help you then" and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and the two of them walked down the corridor to the Ladies toilets. It felt wonderful to be holding her again, with her head resting on his shoulder as they walked. When they got to the toilet door, he pushed it open for her. She didn't argue when he offered to wait for her.

He stood outside for about ten minutes. No one else went in and she didn't come out. Surely even a girl could finish what she needed to do in ten minutes? As he doubted there were any other women in the toilet, he decided to shout in to see if she was alright. He just pushed open the door a bit and asked loudly if she was ok. All he could see were the wash hand basins. He couldn't see her. He heard her faintly moan 'not really', so he shouted 'I'm coming in' as a warning to her and to anyone else that was in there.

Gendry expected to find her being sick, or locked in a cubicle, but instead she was just sitting in a big leather armchair surrounded by mirrors, in a sort of annex area.

"It's just that the world is spinning" she said, looking up at him with those beautiful grey eyes. He knelt down in front of her, overcome with an urge to take care of her.

"Do you want to go home?" He rested his hands on her knees, in what he hoped was a kind of steadying, reassuring way, while studying her face, waiting for her answer.

"And miss all the fun? No, I think I just need to eat something. I think once I've had the main course I'll feel better."

She reached out and put her hands on either side of his head, cupping his face and rubbing her thumbs over his side burns.

"I really fucked things up for us, didn't I Gendry?"

He opened his mouth to answer, then shut it again. What was he going to say? This wasn't the time for sarcasm or to tell her how much she'd hurt him. Despite the fact they were in the Ladies toilets, it felt so intimate, kneeling before her with his face cradled in her hands. He prayed she wasn't going to reject him again.

"Do you not believe in second chances Arya?"

That seemed to be the right thing to say and her face lit up before she bent over to kiss him softly. He kissed her back, but as gently as she had kissed him. What he had suspected earlier was true: he would forgive her anything. As she'd had way too much to drink, he broke the kiss off before either of them got carried away. He took her back to the dining room, the same way they'd come, with his arm around her, only this time it wasn't just to steady her. He cuddled her and kissed the top of her head and could hardly bear to let her go when the time came.

Their main course was waiting for them and he was pleased to see she ate it all and that she seemed to perk up after she'd finished it and several glasses of water.

He wasn't avoiding her eyes now and it felt good to be able to smile back at her again, but Sansa and Margaery on either side of him, kept involving him in conversation. As Sansa was talking at him about tartan and he was pretending to be interested, he felt Arya's bare foot on his knee. What was she up to now? He smiled at her, but pushed her foot off his knee. They were in the middle of a family dinner for chrissakes.

He kept talking to Sansa, but almost immediately felt her foot again - on the inside of his thigh this time, working slowly up to his crotch. As soon as he could interrupt his conversation with Sansa he turned Arya and mouthed

"_Stop it."_ As he said it her foot found his cock and gave it a clumsy rub. She was biting her lower lip, eyes fixed on him when she shook her head in refusal. God, she was so hot, but he pushed her foot away again and closed his knees to stop her doing it again.

After the main course, Sansa suggested that they all swap places, to mingle. Everyone agreed and that was fine until Sansa suggested that she swap with Arya. God, she was going to be next to him. No way was that coincidence – the two of them had planned this and he saw a flicker of a smile pass between the two sisters as the girls all changed places.

Now he had Arya on one side and Freya on the other. He couldn't get a chance to speak to Arya at all because Freya wanted to 'get to know her best man.' If she hadn't been the bride, if the groom hadn't been sitting a few seats away, Gendry would have sworn she was coming on to him. However, she had also had too much to drink, so he gave her the benefit of the doubt. He kept his answers short and factual as he didn't want to let anyone think he was flirting with her under Robb's nose.

Arya didn't seem to be very pleased at being ignored. She tried to talk to him a couple of times, but each time, Freya loudly asked him a very important wedding question, forcing him to turn back towards her to answer.

Soon he felt Arya's hand on his thigh. That felt good and, as long as no-one noticed, he didn't see a reason to stop her. She started kneading his thigh and working her way up to his crotch. He felt his cock beginning to strain against his zipper and someone might well notice that if he had to stand up in a hurry. He gripped Arya's hand and put it back on her own thigh. In seconds she had her hand back on his cock again. This time he gripped her hand so hard he felt her wince, before he dropped it back in her lap. Maybe she'd get the message now.

She didn't try touching him again. Instead she turned full away from him and shifted on her seat so that she was leaning forward, as if engrossed in Freya's brother's conversation, but her arse was pushed out until it pressed on his hip. He tried to shift on his own seat, away from her, but he also didn't want to get too near Freya, so he couldn't move very far. She moved closer again, so she was against him and wiggled her arse. He loved that wiggle. She'd used it on him yesterday and it was having the same effect today. He could feel his cock hardening with every bump. This went on all through dessert. Just as he thought he was going to have to talk to her, to tell her she was making it too obvious, coffee arrived. He was relived when she turned to face the front and drink her coffee. After a couple of sips she leaned into him and whispered into his ear

"_I've got a surprise for you_."

This time she picked up his hand and pulled it under the table with hers. God, she was being so obvious. There was no way people weren't going to notice that! But before he had a chance to pull his hand away, she was pressing his fingers against something warm and soft and wet. It took him a few seconds to work out what he was touching as he was confused by the absence of any hair on her pussy. He quickly realised his fingers were exploring behind the soaking wet material of her panties, touching the lips that had definitely been covered in wiry hair yesterday, but were silky smooth today. Once he realised what he was exploring, there was no hope of him bringing himself to stop. He worked his fingers around, stroking her and lips before finally slipping one finger inside her. She uttered a little gasp and shifted on her seat. What would Freya's brother think of that? He didn't care. All that mattered was his fingers and her cunt. He wondered if he dare bring her off right at the table in front of everyone, but soon she answered his unspoken question by grabbing his hand and pulling it away. He ignored what Freya was saying to him and turned to Arya mouthing 'why?' She was flushed and, looking straight at him, said 'later' so only he could hear.

Not tearing his eyes off hers he reached over to take a mint from the display on the table. He took a bite out of it and as he was putting the remainder of the mint back beside his coffee cup, he brought his other hand up to his mouth. He licked the tip of his middle finger that seconds before had been inside her, as if licking away a stray piece of chocolate. He watched her lips part unconsciously and he imagined sliding his finger into her mouth to let her taste how wonderful she was.

"Gendry. Arya!" Robb shouted at them across the table, interrupted their private little party. They both looked guiltily at Robb and, from the scowl on his face; he knew exactly what they'd been up to.

"As Sansa's too drunk to drive, she's going to leave her car here tonight and the three of you are coming with me."

Neither Gendry nor Arya were going to argue and they pointedly avoided even looking at each other for the rest of the dinner.

-o-

During the journey back, Gendry and Robb talked about cars. Gendry was aware of Sansa and Arya whispering in the back seat, but they were being too quiet for him to hear what they were saying, so he had to try to ignore them.

"Thanks for helping me out mate." Robb said as he pulled the white Mercedes up outside Gendry's flat.

"Yeah, anytime and thanks for the lift" Gendry replied. As he opened the door, he heard a small voice from the back ask

"Can I come up for a coffee?"

Gendry stopped and looked to Robb for the answer.


	21. Chapter 21

Just before noon, a message echoed over the public address system into the repair bay

"_Would Gendry come to Reception please? Customer waiting."_

The interruption was welcome. He'd been feeling unsettled and irritated since Robb stopped Arya coming up to his flat the night before. Ok, she'd been drunk, but earlier in the day Robb had given Gendry his blessing to go out with his little sister - even asked him to 'sort her out'. After the dinner… well, after the finger licking thing, Robb had gone all Grumpy Lord Stark on them; telling Arya and Sansa they were an embarrassment and insisting they go home to sleep off too much Champagne. Robb had a bloody cheek. They were all only involved in this farce because he'd got himself into a right mess. _Bloody Starks_.

Gendry wiped the oil off his hands as best he could while he walked across the yard to the reception building. As he rounded the corner into the parking area he saw Sansa's convertible Mercedes parked outside. Oh God, what did she want? Robb yesterday, Sansa today. He cursed the _Bloody Starks _again.

When he wandered into reception there was no sign of Sansa, no sign of anyone except the receptionist. She looked up at Gendry, blushed as she always did when she had to talk to him, and told him his girlfriend was in the showroom talking to Tobho Mott. What the fuck – _girlfriend_? Arya must be here too. He hurried off to the showroom.

There was no sign of Sansa, but Arya was there: so beautiful in a summer dress, surrounded by gleaming new Mercedes and listening attentively to his boss while the old man gave her his sales pitch. Gendry knew better than to interrupt Mr Mott mid flow as, if the boss though he'd lost a sale because of Gendry's interruption, there would be hell to pay. So he hung around and pretended to look at the brochures until they'd finished, all the while running the concept of Arya as his '_girlfriend_' around in his head. That's what she must have told the receptionist. That's what he'd always wanted and now it looked like he'd got it. The thought of it made him grin like a stupid idiot.

Tobho Mott's big voice boomed across the showroom "Ah, Gendry! Did you know Lady Arya here has a birthday coming up and Lord Stark has tasked us with making sure she gets her present on time?"

So she was getting a new Mercedes for her twenty first birthday? And he'd been stupid enough to think she'd come here to see him. His big, stupid grin turned into a frown.

"That's very generous of Lord Stark" was all he could manage to mutter. It seemed that, everywhere he turned, Arya's money and aristocratic family were being rammed down his throat. Everything and everyone seemed to be conspiring against him – making him feel increasingly unworthy of her.

Tobho was obviously delighted at the prospect of another Stark sale.

"Well, young lady, just get back to me when you've decided on the model and the colour, but don't leave it too long as we want to make sure it's here for the big day! I'll just go and check the import times now" and with that, Tobho left the two of them alone in the showroom.

"So you're getting a new car then?" Gendry was trying to keep the bitterness and the jealously he felt out of his voice. He wasn't sure he was succeeding.

"Yeah, apparently. I hadn't really thought about it until Mr Mott cornered me in reception. It seems my Dad's already spoken to him about it. It's a Stark thing - we all get them for our twenty first. Would you like to help me choose it?"

He must have pulled a face, as Arya blushed, finally realising a new Mercedes was way out of his reach and asking him to help her choose it was just rubbing his nose in it. She immediately changed the subject.

"But I didn't come here for that. I came here to see _you_. You weren't answering your phone this morning and after Robb was such a prick last night, not letting me come up, I've been desperate for you to finish what you started under the table." She smiled shyly up at him. "I was wondering what you're doing at lunch time and if maybe we could go back to your flat, for …you know…some lunch and maybe you could _eat me_?" she murmured and she flushed scarlet as soon as she said it.

He couldn't help grinning again thinking about what they'd started last night and the fact that talking about it was making her so embarrassed. That was one of the things he loved most about her – the contradiction of her being so innocent and also so damn sexy. He pushed her hair off her left shoulder. Any excuse to touch her.

"Sounds wonderful, but I can't. I only get thirty minutes for lunch, so you're just going to have to be patient until tonight. Anyway, I wasn't deliberately not answering my phone. I can't have it on in work and you must have phoned after I started."

Arya looked like a sulky toddler who wasn't getting her own way and she wasn't going to just give up that easily.

"Yeah well, I wasn't up too early this morning. I suppose I was a bit drunk last night. _But I can't wait until tonight._ I want you now. I've already been waiting since _last _night" and she stood on her tip toes and kissed him, darting her tongue into his mouth. He pulled away - hopefully before anyone saw them.

"Well we can't always get what we want, Milady! You'll just need to learn to be patient." She didn't look pleased with that prospect.

"Come on baby, don't sulk. It'll be even better after all this anticipation." She tried to kiss him again, but he wouldn't let her.

"Arya, come on, we're in the showroom!"

She scowled at him.

"Can you not take a half day off your work and spend it with me?" she pleaded

"No! I need to give notice. Anyway, it's only a few more hours. Go and have a cold shower and I'll see you tonight."

She was still frowning at him. She was obviously used to getting what she wanted, when she wanted it and was not at all happy at being denied now. _Well, tough!_ He thought. Ordinary people have to work for a living and couldn't just swan off in the middle of the day for a shag. He thought of Robb and Talisa in his flat on Monday afternoon. If Arya wanted to be with him she was going to have to accept he wasn't at her beck and call.

"Come on. Cheer up. What time tonight? Do you want to come over or do you want me to take you out? Maybe we could go for dinner again?" and he couldn't resist winking at her.

"Oooh – you are so infuriating! Just go back to your bloomin' work then." She scowled and folded her arms. He half expected her to start stamping her feet like a frustrated toddler.

"See you tonight then. _Girlfriend._" and he walked off, leaving her standing, scowling in the showroom.

He had not long got back to the old Mercedes he was welding, put his gauntlets and mask back on, fired up the gas again when his name was called over the public address system for the second time.

"_Could Gendry come to reception please? Gendry to reception."_

Jeez – what now. He pulled off the gauntlets, helmet, shut off the gas and stomped back to reception. Arya was talking to Tobho Mott again. 'Talking' to him wasn't really an accurate description. As Gendry strode across the yard, he could see her flick her hair as she threw her head back in an exaggerated laugh at one of Tobho's, always awful, jokes. She was _flirting _with the boss.

"Ahh Gendry" Tobho Mott boomed as he approached. "This delightful young lady tells me she needs some assistance with her sister's car."

Gendry just stood and looked from one to the other. What was she up to now? Arya sneaked a cheeky wink at him when Tobho wasn't looking.

"Now Lady Stark, explain to the lad, what the fault is..."

Arya stroked Tobho's arm and looked coyly up at the old man through her lashes.

"Well, Sansa says that, on long journeys the engine makes a funny sort of noise and she really wanted Mr. Waters to have a look at it as he's been soooo helpful before."

Gendry gave Arya a '_What the Fuck?'_ look that she didn't acknowledge. Instead she kept up her 'little girl lost' act with his boss.

"Sansa says it only happens when she drives to London, and we can't explain what the noise is. You know us - don't know a thing about cars, so we thought we'd ask _the experts._"

Gendry was sure Tobho's chest puffed up with pride at the compliment.

"Sansa suggested that, if Mr. Waters comes with me, then he could hear the noise himself and he would know what it was".

"Of course Miss Stark. Don't you worry, Gendry will sort it out – he knows his cars." Tobho boomed while smiling indulgently at Arya. Lady Stark wasn't finished with Mr. Mott yet.

"I really don't know how long it'll take to hear the noise again, so we might be away some time. We might even have to drive all the way to London, as that's when Sansa says it happens. When do you need him back?" and she actually fluttered her eyelashes at Tobho.

Gendry was gob smacked. Arya had Tobho wrapped around her little finger. Surely the boss wasn't going to fall for this bullshit story? But, somehow, he seemed to be swallowing it - hook, line and sinker.

"Gendry, go with Lady Stark and sort out her problem."

"Err, Tobho, I'm in the middle of welding that old 450 SLC"

"That can wait Bull, no hurry for that. You go and help this young lady. Take as long as you need."

"But…" Gendry started to say

"But nothing! The Starks are our best customers and they'll get the best service at Baratheon's garage. Take as long as the job needs and don't you come back until you get to the source of this noise!" Tobho was clearly getting annoyed at having his orders queried in front of Arya.

Gendry shrugged. His boss was ordering him to leave his work to spend time with Arya and he was arguing?

"Fine" he muttered. I'll just go and get out of these overalls before I get in your fancy car Milady". He glowered at Arya. She had a self satisfied smirk on her face. Of course he wanted to spend the afternoon with her, but he was annoyed she was getting her own way AGAIN. An unwelcome thought nagged at the back of his mind – _she's just using you. All she wants is sex._

_-o-_

She was leaning against Sansa's convertible Mercedes when he came out. She looked like something out of an MTV video. She was all long brown legs and killer curves. Her dress and hair were moving around her in the light breeze. Even if she was using him, who could resist that? He certainly couldn't and it was all he could do to stop himself from running across the car park to her. He dropped his bike jacket and helmet in the back seat. She threw him the keys.

"Come on, drive me crazy."

Gendry was beginning to realize she was the one driving him crazy.

As soon as they were in the car, she arranged her dress, so that it was just covering her panties, leaving her slim, brown thighs in full view.

"So where were we last night Mr. Waters?" she licked her lips and looked across at him, eyes half closed, presumably expecting him to continue with the under the table thing, but that wasn't what she was going to get…yet.

He was still pissed off with her for not listening to him when he told her he couldn't leave his work, pissed off that she couldn't just be patient for a few hours and really pissed off that she'd gone behind his back to plead for time off from his boss. Arya always got what Arya wanted but he still hadn't got a proper apology for Monday night.

"Hmm, I think you'd just started apologizing to me for telling me that _I'd fucking do._"

"Oh. That." Instantly her body language changed from playful and sexy to spiky and defensive. She pulled her dress down over her knees.

"I said I was sorry. I've tried to be honest with you about how I felt the first time I saw you. But that was before…before I remembered how much fun we had together and before the great sex. You know I don't think that about you now, don't you?"

"Do I? How do you know what I think Arya? You think it's ok to turn up at my work and trick my boss into giving me the rest of the day off just so you can get a shag when you feel like it! You think that makes me feel great? You think that makes me feel like we've got a future?" He was trying to stay calm, trying to stop himself from shouting at her. He couldn't look at her. Instead he was gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were white. Now he'd started, all the hurt and the rage from that night came flooding back to him.

"Do you really want to know how that makes me feel? It makes me feel like you're just _using me."_ And he finally looked across at her. She did look shocked.

"_I'm not just using you._ I thought you'd like to spend the afternoon with me too and ok, so I hoped you'd make love to me, but is that so wrong? I just want you to make me feel that good again. But if that's not what _you_ want, you need to tell me Gendry!"

"I want you to introduce me to your family as your boyfriend. I want you to invite me up to Winterfell so I can give Rickon that ride on my bike I promised him and I want us to go out on a date on Saturday night and you to stay over, no matter what bloody Robb says about it. Oh, and I don't want you talking to Robb and Jon about us again. EVER." He glowered over at her.

"Ok. Deal. You come up to Winterfell on Saturday afternoon and I'll make sure Rickon is around. I'll tell Mum and Dad that we're serious about each other and we'll go out on Saturday night." She made it all sound so simple, but then maybe everything was that easy when you had money and family and got a brand new Mercedes for your bloody birthday. Anyway, she'd agreed to do what he'd asked, so he had to give her a chance to prove she meant it. He relaxed his grip on the wheel and started the car.

"So. Now you've got the rest of the day off, where are we going?" Arya asked

"Well, I want to get washed and changed, so we're going back to my flat first."

"Ok. Great." She said brightly.

He pulled the car out of the car park and out onto the main road. As he drove, he was aware of her hoisting her skirt up again and out of the corner of his eye he could see her stroking the insides of her thighs with her long, slim fingers. She was acting as if they'd never had that argument. He was still pissed off - not as much as before, but she was acting like she hadn't a care in the world.

Gendry was finding it hard to concentrate on driving with her flashing her thighs. That wasn't all he was finding hard. He vividly remembered how fantastic she felt under the table last night and he took one hand off the wheel to slide it under her bunched up dress to her panties. The silky material was wet under his fingers.

"I think you should just concentrate on driving and let me do that." Her voice was low and sexy. He did what he was told and put his hand back on the steering wheel; wondering what she was going to do next. Her right hand disappeared under her skirt. Between trying to keep his eyes on the road and her skirt being in the way, he couldn't see exactly what she was doing but he could certainly imagine where her fingers were. She moaned and shifted in her seat, turning towards him.

"Tell me how I taste?" She slid the index and middle fingers of her right hand into his mouth. He greedily sucked her fingers, feeling her long nails on his tongue and her musky, animal taste in his mouth. After a few moments she pulled her fingers out of his mouth and back under her skirt.

"You taste fucking wonderful Arya, but I knew that already. I want you to tell me how you think you taste" and this time when she drew her fingers out from under her skirt she licked them herself, running her tongue slowly from her palm to the tip of each long nail and finally putting both fingers inside her hot little mouth.

"Hmm, it's good, but not as good as I think you're gonna taste when I suck your cock." She giggled. That was such a delicious sound and the all the better for coming after a promise like that. Arya had shocked him again.

He couldn't resist working his left hand back up under her skirt. This time he could feel her panties pulled to the side, exposing those bare pussy lips. He had his knees jammed under the steering wheel, using them to steady it as he drove with one hand. This wasn't smart and he was driving way faster than he should have been, but he was desperate to get her back to his flat and to get those wet panties off her.

As soon as they turned into the entrance for his car park, he pushed his foot down on the accelerator and his arm across the back of Arya's seat. Tires screaming, he executed a perfect reverse hand-break J turn between two, already parked, cars and into his own parking space. So the neigbours would complain again, but what was the point in being able to do something like that and not show it off to your hot girlfriend?

"Eeek! What did you just do?" Arya shrieked, shaking her head.

"It's called a 'J' turn. Want me to do it again?"

"No! Never! Are you trying to kill us both?" she squealed. Hmm, he was going to have to find something else to impress her.

After the car screeched to a halt in the parking space he jumped out and ran around to her side. He held the door open while she swiveled around and gracefully got out the car, giving him a good eyeful of her panties as she did it. He put his arm around her shoulder as he walked her to the main entrance, but he'd forgotten his jacket and his precious helmet, both still in the back seat and he had to run back for them, cursing himself for the delay. He started up the stairs two at a time and quickly caught up with her. He had his jacket and helmet in one hand and made her laugh by putting his other hand on her arse and pretending to push her up the rest of the stairs. He made sure he stayed behind her all the way up so he could watch her arse wiggle in front of him.

They fell into his flat together and he had dumped the jacket and helmet on the floor and pulled his T shirt off before the door was even shut behind them. He started on her dress. No zip at the back and she was pulling at the side. Ahh, side zip, but it wasn't that easy and it took the two of them a few minutes to get her out of it. She was just in her heels, bra and panties - white lace today, which made her look even more innocent and suntanned.

"Wait, I've got something to show you" she said as he was grabbing at her panties to get them off.

"I know, that's why I'm getting rid of these…"

"Not that, look…" and she reach behind and undid her bra, letting it slip off her arms, exposing her breasts. She had white triangles over her nipples and the centre of her tits, highlighting them perfectly against the rest of her brown skin.

"You said you liked the white bits, so one of the girls said I should keep my bikini top on for the spray tan yesterday…"

"Fucking hell, I love it" and he did. He'd never seen anything like that outside of a dirty magazine and here she was, virginal two days ago, surprising him again.

She dropped her bra on the floor to join the growing pile of clothes. He bent down and started licking each of her nipples in turn, feeling them crinkle and grow under his tongue and hearing her gasp with pleasure. But this was a diversion; he needed to see that cunt. So while he was sucking on her nipples, he snaked his arms down to her arse and lifted her up. She helped him by wrapping her legs around his waist and he walked her backwards into the kitchen where he sat her gently on the breakfast bar. He knew from previous experience that this was just the right height for want he wanted to see and do.

"Lie back" he ordered.

"Here?" She looked nervous and obviously wasn't sure about lying on the cold, hard worktop.

"Yes, I want to see this bare pussy you've been tempting with for the past two days." So she did as she was told and he got a great view of the white underside of her tits as she lay back, arching her back on his breakfast bar. As he tugged at her panties, she lifted her hips to let him ease them off, past her spiky heels.

Only then did he let himself study her cunt. It was spread bare before him, totally exposed for his pleasure. There was nothing to hide how swollen her lips were and how pink and wet she was. He licked her all the way up, once, twice, each time ending with a teasing double flick on her clit. He felt her quiver with pleasure, but that wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to watch his cock slide in and out of her. As soon as he unbuttoned his jeans his cock sprang out, the bulbous purple tip oozing with anticipation. She was just at the right level, lying there ready to take him and he grabbed her hips to hold her in place before easing slowly into her, hearing her gasp with delight. _This _was what he wanted, what he'd needed, since last night.

He tried to hold back, stroking slowly in and out of her as he leant back, so he could watch his cock stuff her full, again and again and again. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the perfect coupling of his cock and her cunt, and he couldn't help himself moving faster and faster, as she moaned and panted at his urgent rhythm.

"Touch yourself" he ordered through gritted teeth. She immediately brought her hands up to her tits and started pulling at her nipples.

"Not there. Your clit."

"Oh sorry, I didn't know what you meant…" she mumbled before slowly running one hand over her stomach and down to start rubbing her hard little nub with two fingers. He watching her long, sharp nails stroke her bare cunt while he stuffed her full of cock. This was better than he'd ever imagined during all those nights he'd jerked himself off to her picture. This was better than any porn movie he'd ever seen. After their first night, when he'd told her to get out, he'd imagined screwing her hard and fast like this, if he ever got the chance again. He wanted to use her, like she'd used him.

"Will _this do_ Arya?" she didn't answer him. He looked up at her face. Her eyes were screwed tight shut; she was biting her lip and moaning every time he pushed inside her. He needed an answer. With a supreme effort he pulled out. She instantly opened her eyes and tried to sit up

"_I said - will this fucking do Arya!_"

"Oh God, what do you mean? Just don't stop" she moaned

"Tell me if this will _just do_ Arya, or if you fucking love it."

"Don't start this now Gendry."

"_Fucking tell me!_"

"Ok I love it? Ok? Is that what you want to hear? You're the best fuck I've ever had."

_Bitch!_ And he rammed into her so hard she gasped with shock. This time he didn't let her touch herself, instead he rubbed her clit hard with his thumb, being careful not to obscure his view. She was trying to buck up against him, to get maximum friction on her clit and as he kept up the relentless rhythm she was ordering him to "Fuck me, Fuck me, Fuck me", her hair whipping around as she writhed on the hard surface. He joined her, moaning "fuck, fuck, fuuuuuck" as they came together in a storm of shuddering bodies and cursing.

As he eased out of her he tried to burn the image of his cock buried in her bare cunt onto his mind forever. He'd never seen anything that turned him on so much. Already he was thinking about when they would do it again. As she tried to sit up, he put his hands under her shoulders and pulled her back up into a sitting position. Her hair was wild and her face flushed from her orgasm. She leant her head on his shoulder, the two of them still panting. He just wrapped his arms around her and felt her tits burning against his chest and her back cool as marble.

Neither of them said anything. Making her tell him he was better than '_you'll do_' while he was fucking her seemed pathetic now. Christ, he hadn't realized he was so _needy, _so desperate for reassurance. He'd never cared what any woman thought of him before.

Eventually, he helped her down off the breakfast bar where she stood, unsteady in her high heels, naked in his kitchen.

"Arya, I'm sorry for…." But she didn't let him finish. She murmured 'shhhhhhhh' and kissed his lips softly.

"I deserved it." She gave him a sexy smile "And you _are_ the best fuck I've ever had." She had a wicked gleam in her eye. "Bedroom next?" she asked. He had to laugh.

"You're insatiable Milady! I was thinking we might have lunch first."

"Lunch can wait. There's something else I want to show you." With an offer like that, he wasn't going to argue.


	22. Chapter 22

**Arya's** heart was thumping as she let Gendry lead her by the hand in to his bedroom and it wasn't because of what they'd just done. She was nervous, trying to remember everything Sansa, Talisa, Allyria, Jayne and Margaery had told her in the spa. She wanted to get this right, wanted so much to please Gendry. She knew that she was doing well so far, as he'd obviously loved the Hollywood wax and the spray tan. The girls had been right about leaving her bikini top on for the spray tan and she hoped they were right about this too. God, this would have been so much easier last night, when she'd been drunk and everything they'd told her was still fresh in her mind. Maybe she should have written it all down?

Hopefully he'd know that she hadn't done this before – but then who would have thought snobby Sansa was a bloomin' expert? Maybe she should warn him, so he'd understand if she didn't do it right.

Her legs were still shaking from the effort of keeping them wrapped around his waist while he'd fucked her. Yes, 'fucked' was the right word for it. She wasn't quite sure if she'd liked it that rough, but he certainly did. It hadn't been like the first time when he'd been so gentle with her. It had been hard and fast and uncomfortable lying on that worktop - in his kitchen! She had never, ever imagined that she would have sex in a kitchen! But then, she was way out of her depth in every way now. On unfamiliar territory. Gendry certainly knew what he was doing and she was worried about how she compared to his other girlfriends. Oh God, she hoped she'd do this right and that he'd like it.

Once they were in his bedroom he eyed her up and down slowly, taking in every lump and bump it seemed. She hadn't thought it was possible to feel more exposed than being stark naked, but having no pubic hair certainly made her feel more than naked. She felt her cheeks flaming with embarrassment. Nothing seemed to embarrass Gendry.

"Now you've got me here, what's my surprise?" He drawled. Oh, this wasn't fair. He still had half his clothes on and was so goddamn perfect and experienced. Here she was, standing in nothing but a pair of heels and she didn't know how she was going to even say this. There was nothing for it, but to just come out with it.

"I'm going to suck your cock." Oh my God, she'd just said it and he didn't laugh at her. This wouldn't have sounded so awkward if she'd got to say it last night, like she'd planned - when she'd been drunk. Ok, so he wasn't laughing, but he did look amused: those pale blue eyes of his were all twinkly.

"Hmm, I'd like that. Is this something else you've just seen in a video and want to try out on me then?" Oooooh, that was mean. Maybe he _was_ laughing at her after all.

"You might watch those kinds of things Gendry, but I certainly don't. And no, I've never done it before. But I want to make you happy." And that sounded so sappy she was sure he was going to laugh at her now.

"Do you not know how happy you've made me already?" He looked worried "I don't want you to do anything you don't want to." As he said that he stroked her face tenderly, brushing her hair away with his hand before rubbing his thumb over her bottom lip. Her stomach did a back flip and she felt a, now familiar, tingle in her nipples and at the top of her legs. He seemed to know just how to touch her to turn her on and that just made her more determined to show him she could do it to him too.

After having told him she was going to give him a blow job, there was no way she was going to back out now.

"I want to." She said determinedly.

"Ok, Milady, but the least I can do is have a shower before you try it!" and he was certainly laughing at her now, or maybe he was laughing with her as she felt herself grinning too at the awkwardness of it all.

"Come on, lets have a shower together." He didn't need to ask her twice. She was more prepared today and had brought a hair clip and make up with her as she didn't want to look like a wet dog again for the rest of the day.

Having done it once before, it wasn't so awkward this time for them to shower together. He knew he had to lift his arms up to turn around and they both knew there wasn't space to wash each other at the same time so they had to take turns. It was even more fun than the first time and as she wasn't so self conscious. She let herself relax and really enjoy his carefully soaping every inch of her body. She loved how he could be so gentle and tender when he needed to be and so rough and domineering when he wanted to be.

She wasn't sure what turned her on more – being washed by him or washing him. Touching him anywhere was still so new and exciting. Tracing her fingers over the slabs of muscle across his shoulders, down his arms and across his abs made her fizz with excitement. She especially loved the way his hip muscles curved all the way from his back, round and down towards the dark forest of hair above his penis. She couldn't stop herself from stroking his waist and hips over and over again. That must have been the cleanest part of him! The only reason she stopped was because he seemed to find it tickly and eventually grabbed her hands, grinning at her as he told her 'no more'.

By the time they got out of the shower, she was desperate for him to make love to her again. Would he still be up for it after she'd given him a blow job? From what her University friends said, even twice seemed to be good going. None of the girls at the spa had said anything about that. Now she came to think about it, they were still virgins and determined to stay that way, so they wouldn't have wanted any more would they? But Arya certainly did and she could only hope he was up to doing it three times before lunch. Oh dear. When had she turned into such a nymphomaniac? The thought made her smile. Wasn't this exactly what she'd wanted? _Gendry Waters – what have you done to me?!_

He dried her first, slowly and carefully, lavishing particular attention on her breasts and bottom. It was so hot, having him kneel in front of her, lavishing so much attention on her. When he was finished he looked at her expectantly. Right. Here goes. She dried him, more firmly than he'd dried her, kneeling in front of him once she'd dried his top half. Then she started at his feet, working up and avoiding his manhood until the very last. It was fully erect again, pushed up hard against the muscles of his stomach, giving her a clear view of his balls, hanging like two ripe plums below. The girls had told her to not to forget to pay attention to them.

She giggled with embarrassment as she tentatively touched his shaft.

"Not here. In the bedroom" he said, huskily. "There's a full length mirror in there. I want to see everything."

She swallowed hard. This was it.

"Ok" she whispered. He pulled her up and led her by the hand again, back into his bedroom. He stood at the end of the bed, side on to the full length mirror on the wardrobe door.

"Are you sure Arya? You seem pretty nervous. There's no hurry, if you'd rather wait until you've had a bit more experience…"

"I'm sure. Let's do this." She said with more conviction that she felt. His blue eyes were dancing with amusement and it looked to Arya like he was trying very hard not to smile.

"Are you laughing at me Gendry Waters?"

"No, no, of course not. Just be gentle with me ok?"

"You _are_ laughing at me!"

"No, honestly I'm not. I'm just loving this, that's all. Now, remember, be gentle – no teeth ok?"

She wasn't _that _naive. But, shit! That reminded her about the red lipstick. The girls had all said it was vital if she was going to do this right.

"Wait a minute, I nearly forgot something" and she rummaged in her bag for her Chanel rouge passion lipstick – the reddest red she could find. She popped the lid and unscrewed it slowly, trying to make this part of the show, like Allyria had told her. Or was it Jayne? Never mind – _concentrate Arya_. She turned to the mirror and opened her mouth, applying the red lipstick very slowly. She could see his refection in the mirror and her show seemed to be having the desired effect – he was eyeing her greedily.

Finally ready, she took a deep breath and turned round, sinking to her knees in front of him.

She swept her tongue around his balls then over them, gently sucking each one in turn. So far, so good as he was groaning deeply. Holding his hips and deliberately pressing her sharp nails into his buttocks, she then traced every vein and ridge of his cock with a pointed tongue before flicking it over his tip until he was moaning her name.

When she finally closed her red lips over his cock, he tasted clean and soapy as she moved gently up and down. She wrapped her hand around the base of his shaft and made sure she matched the rhythm of her mouth with her hand: just as the girls had described.

She felt him slide his fingers into her hair, pressing her head gently, but firmly as he thrust deeper into her mouth. All the girls had told her how important it was to relax and try and take him in as far in as possible. Gagging was a definite passion killer, but she wondered if they would have had any other advice to offer her, if she'd told them how big he was. It was all she could do not to choke and it was so hard to concentrate on all these things at once and _still _relax. She was going to need a lot of practice at this.

From his groans and the way he was moving, she hoped the simultaneous sucking, licking and squeezing was driving him crazy. When she stopped hearing him pant, she guessed he was holding his breath, and then his whole stiffened. Arya was beginning to realise this meant he was close to coming.

This was the bit the girls had to explain to her umpteen times. She had never heard of anything like it, but they were all adamant _this_ was what would keep your man coming back for more. So she did what they'd told her, slipped her finger between his buttocks and pressed it there firmly as she continued the pulling, squeezing and sucking until he came deep into her throat, gasping her name over and over again.

Now the final hurdle – she had to swallow. The girls had all agreed on this. No ifs, no buts – swallow. The thought of it had repulsed her before, but she beginning to realise he was awakening feelings in her that she never dreamed she would have. The creamy taste wasn't as bad as she had imagined and she swallowed it easily as he shuddered to his end in her mouth.

After he let go of her, she took a look at herself in the mirror. Her lipstick was smudged, her hair ruined, but she'd done it. The girls would be proud. Not that she'd tell them of course – at least not while she was sober.

Gendry helped her to her feet and cuddled her, whispering in her ear

"Arya you are a natural. I think you might be the best thing that's ever fucking happened to me." Success! She couldn't have been more pleased with herself, and there was more…

"I bought you a present" he said as he let her go and lay down on the bed. She noticed the red lipstick ring around the base of his, now limp, penis.

"Ohh, what?" A present from Gendry. Already! She was excited.

"A toothbrush."

"Oh. Thanks." She tried not to say it sarcastically, _but really? A toothbrush?_ He even had the nerve to look quite pleased with himself!

"After Robb dropped me off last night, I went to the supermarket and got you a toothbrush, a hair dryer and some of that PG wine you like. Well, quite a lot of that PG wine actually." He grinned that big, stupid grin. Oh, she supposed it was quite sweet really.

"Thank you very much. That was very thoughtful of you." And it was.

"Before you come back to bed can you go and brush your teeth? Yours is the pink one!" She launched herself onto the bed at him and it turned out that he wasn't really bothered about her brushing her teeth after all.

-o-

Arya was feeling deliciously satisfied. She was warm and sleepy as she nestled into his side with her head on his shoulder. Hopefully he was feeling the same, so this was maybe as good a time as any to ask

"Gendry, how many girlfriends have you had?"

"Hmm. Not many."

"Come on, tell me." She propped herself up on her elbow to look at him. She didn't mind what the answer was, she just wanted to know. It was obvious he had way more experience than her, so if it was two or thirty two, it didn't make much difference. She just wanted to make sure she was the best and last.

"Ok. Three. Including you."

"Three? Is that all?" Suddenly that seemed worse than loads. Had the other two been really serious? Had he lived with them? Been engaged? Oh God, she didn't like the sound of this.

"I think you're asking the wrong question if you want to know how many women I've had." He said with a smirk on his face.

"Oh. Right. How many w_omen have you had _then?" Why oh why had she started this again?

"Well, I went off the deep end a bit after my mum died. For about a year, a year and a half maybe. Too much booze and too many women, and no I don't know how many because I can't even remember some of them."

"And since then?" Arya heard the hope in her own voice

"Nothing. I got my act together, started taking my exams again, working out again and then you came along just at the right time."

"Did I? I thought _you_ came along at just the right time for _me_!" and then the two of them were kissing and grabbing each other and he rolled her over and easily pinned her arms above her head.

"I need to get some lunch or I'm going to expire. I'm quite a good cook, so what do you want to eat Arya?"

"Apart from your cock?" it was corny, but made her giggle. He kissed her one last time and then let her go and got out of bed. As he pulled on his jeans he fished his phone out of the pocket and switched it on. It beeped loudly.

"Hey, five missed calls. I'm not usually that popular. Two are from you and the other three from some London number."

"Aren't you going to call them back?" she asked, surprised.

"Nah. If they want me that much, they'll call again. Right, I'm off to make us some lunch. I'm starving." And he sauntered off to the kitchen.

He was so infuriating sometimes. Who wouldn't call back when someone was obviously so desperate to get hold of them? She made a mental note not to stress if he was slow in returning _her_ calls.

Arya stretched out on the bed, feeling very satisfied with herself. The blow job had been a success _and_ she'd come twice. She felt they'd finally got over the '_you'll do_' stupid thing she'd said and although he'd been annoyed at her for coming to his work, even he would have to admit this was a much better way to spend your day.

She was just thinking about getting up, when Gendry's mobile rang. She picked up the phone intending to take it through to him in the kitchen, but it was an unknown London number again and her curiosity got the better of her. What if it was an old girlfriend? If he'd left his phone here, surely he wouldn't mind her answering it? She pressed the accept button and answered in what she hoped was a husky, sexy voice

"Hello, Gendry's phone." Sure enough it was a woman on the other end but as soon as she asked in a very prim voice if 'Mr Waters' was available, Arya guessed it wasn't an old flame.

"I'm his girlfriend, can I take a message?" The woman on the other end hesitated.

"It's very important I get to speak to him. Is he there? Ideally we need him to try and come to the hospital this afternoon." Arya's heart leapt into her mouth. _The hospital wanted him in this afternoon? _Dear God. What could possibly be wrong with him? Surely no one who looked that fit, who could have sex three times before lunch, could be ill? She scrabbled off the bed

"I'm just taking the phone to him. Hold on please." And she ran into the kitchen where he was doing something at the cooker.

"It's the hospital for you and it's urgent" she was shaking as she passed him the phone. He looked puzzled, but not shocked or panicked. She chewed her lip and hugged herself as she listed to him on the phone. She felt stupid and embarrassed, standing there, totally bare, in his kitchen, but she wanted to hear – needed to hear, what was going on. Gendry was just saying 'yes…yes…uhhuh' into the phone as he moved around the kitchen, turning off the gas, putting the milk and eggs back in the fridge. His forehead was furrowed in concentration and whatever it was, sounded serious. Oh God, what was going on?

"Yes, I can come in this afternoon…No; I'm not related to him, as far as I know... Bring someone with me? … I might be able to…" And for the first time since taking the call he looked at Arya. She nodded, feeling her naked skin break out in goose bumps. She started to shiver although it was warm in the kitchen.

"Yes, I've got someone I can bring with me….ok….no I don't mind…Renly Baratheon?…" Arya watched the colour drain from Gendry's face.

"Ok. Maester Hospital, main entrance, Room 237. Dr Cressen." He was still looking at Arya, but not seeing her. His blue eyes were huge - like he was in shock.

"Yes, we'll be there 3.30." He slowly handed the phone back to Arya. What was she supposed to do with it?

"I need to sit down." He mumbled as he walked over to and sat slowly down on the couch. He started running his hands through his hair muttering 'Oh my God' over and over again. Arya didn't know what to do. Should she just leave him alone for a while and go and get dressed? Should she talk to him? Should she just shut up? She decided to go and sit beside him on the couch, still naked and shivering more than ever, but she didn't want to leave him. He looked blankly at her as she sat beside him, but eventually he seemed to manage to pull himself together.

"Come here, you're shivering." And he pulled her onto his lap and hugged her, pressing her to his bare chest as he wrapped his arms around her. As she leant against his shoulder she could hear his heart hammering in his ribcage. This time there was nothing sexual about their contact; they both just needed comfort from each other. After a long silence, she spoke first

"Is everything all right Gendry?" It was a stupid question, as everything obviously wasn't alright, but it was all she could think of to say and she really wanted him to tell her that everything _was _ok. She waited for a reply but he didn't answer. She took his face in her hands and turned his head towards her so that she was staring straight into his eyes. She was dreading the answer, but she _had_ to know.

"Dear God Gendry - will you please tell me what's wrong with you?" And she felt her eyes well up with tears and her bottom lip start to tremble. He blinked and focused on her. Then he hugged her tighter and buried his face in her hair.

"Oh Arya, I don't want you to leave me." She froze. What could be so bad that would make him think she would leave him? She pushed his shoulders back, so she could see his face again. Suddenly she felt icily calm.

"Gendry, I'm not going to leave you, but you tell me _now_ what's wrong!"

"I never told you why I was in the Doctors surgery the first day I met you again." Arya felt as if a cold hand was closing around her heart. No, he hadn't told her and worse - she had never bothered to ask. More proof that she was a selfish bitch.

"Everyone at work was asked to give a blood sample to see if they could find a suitable donor for the Big Boss – Robert Baratheon, who's got cancer. If he doesn't get a stem cell transplant soon he's going to die. There's been a nationwide appeal for donors – it's been in the papers and on T.V. You know the sort of thing: usually it's for a kid that's dying, but if you're a billionaire you get special treatment and if you're an employee you get told you'd better volunteer."

"So there's nothing wrong with you?" Arya studied his face; needed to make sure he was telling her the truth and not trying to spare her from some awful news.

"No, there's nothing wrong with me." He sighed. Although Arya felt waves of relief wash over her, his reaction wasn't what she was expecting. A man with nothing wrong with him should be happy, relieved - but he clearly wasn't.

"Well I'm relieved, even if you're not. Now tell me what's wrong." She gave him a reassuring hug, but never took her eyes off his face.

"The hospital says I'm an exact match and they want me in today to take more blood samples and after that, they want some of my bone marrow as soon as possible." He looked upset, but why would that be upsetting him?

"Look Gendry, I'm sure they can't _make _you do it if you don't want to. Is it a big operation?"

"No, it's not that. It's what they're telling me about being an _exact _match. That's why they want me to bring someone with me, so they can explain it all to us. That nurse on the phone said exact matches, even in the same family, are extremely rare and she wanted to know if I am related to Robert Baratheon."

"And are you?"

"Come on Arya, I'm related to no-one! My mum was an only child and her parents died years ago. I might have some distant relatives on my mother's side, somewhere, but I doubt they're going to be related to the bloody Baratheons."

"So…" Arya was beginning to realise why he was so shaken by the phone call.

"So… if _I am_ related, like they say, it's got to be on my father's side. I might finally find out who the bastard was."

Arya wasn't convinced. How could Gendry possibly be related to that prick Joffrey? She couldn't imagine any two people who were less alike.


	23. Chapter 23

The nearer they got to London, the heavier the traffic became, swarming around the Mercedes like so many angry bees. Arya had passed her test in Westeros and had never driven in London. Who in their right mind would want to do that? In fact, she had hardly driven anywhere during the past three years. On the rare occasions she was back home she had borrowed one of the family cars if she'd needed to go anywhere and even then, it was never further than Winterfell village.

She had been feeling nervous since Gendry's phone call and having cars driving so close to her rear bumper and so fast around her was only adding to her stress levels. Gendry had been so agitated by the call that she had thought it better if she drove to the hospital. God, was she regretting that now.

He had been complaining that he was starving since they'd left his flat in such a hurry. Apparently there was a McDonald's just off the motorway, so he wanted to stop there. Arya didn't do McDonalds. Yuk. However, she had to admit she was getting hungry too, so she had agreed to pull off at the next exit. Unfortunately there was a slip road bringing cars streaming onto the motorway about half a mile before her exit and she was finding it difficult to make her way through the traffic to the inside lane for her exit.

"You could try indicating." Gendry muttered, possibly trying to be helpful, but sounding sarcastic. To be honest, she hadn't realized she wasn't indicating. There was too much going on around her.

It was such a relief to finally stop the car in the Macdonald's car park. Gendry had suggested a drive through, but Arya didn't think Sansa would have thanked her for bringing her car back reeking of fast food and potentially splattered in ketchup. As soon as she cut the engine Gendry put his big hand on her knee and said,

"Arya, you know I love you don't you?" Oh My God, where was he going with this?

"Yes" she eventually replied, rather warily.

"But you're a shit driver and I'm driving us the rest of the way to the hospital. Ok?"

What a relief! For a moment she had thought he expected her to say she loved him too. She wasn't ready for that yet. Being called a crap driver felt like a lucky escape.

"Well, we can't all be Jeremy bloody Clarkston. Anyway, I just need a bit more practice."

"Hmmm, you know I'm all for getting more practice in." He squeezed her knee and gave her a lecherous grin.

"But I'm starving, so come on."

If Arya had ever been inside a McDonalds she couldn't remember it. The smell of fried food assaulted her as soon as she walked in the door and the décor looked like an explosion inside a kids paint factory. The queue almost stretched to the door, so they had to stand in a long line with fractious toddlers, stressed mothers, and students. Gendry was seething with frustration.

"Fuck's sake. Look at the size of the queue and I'm starving!"

"If you tell me you're starving one more time I'm going to...oooooh…just go and sit down!" Arya couldn't believe she was sounding exactly like one of those mothers with a grumpy toddler! If this was the effect McDonalds had on everyone who walked through their door it was a wonder they had any customers at all.

Gendry stomped off and sat by the window, staring moodily out to the car park when he wasn't fidgeting with his phone. The queue inched forwards.

There were still four people in front of her when Arya noticed a girl get up from the table, two behind Gendry, and slink over to sit on – yes ON - his table. The Bitch even hoisted her skirt up a good few inches before she sat down on the table right beside him, giving him an eye full of her legs and goodness knows what else. The other three at Bitch Girl's table were all giggling at their friend. Gendry looked surprised, but not annoyed. To Arya's dismay, he didn't immediately tell her to get lost and instead started talking to her! If Arya hadn't already waited so long in the bloody queue she would have marched over and slapped the two of them. Starting with him! She watched open mouthed as he smiled and chatted and Bitch Girl leaned towards him giving him a good view down her blouse.

A yell of "next over here" and a nudge from the person behind, forced Arya to concentrate on the food order and when she could look over again Bitch Girl was back with her friends, huddled in conversation. Gendry was staring out the window.

When she got over to his table, she slammed the tray down and directed her most evil scowl at Bitch Girl's friends. The two facing her whispered to Bitch girl, who had her back to Arya and the four of them got up to leave as Arya sat down.

"What was that all about?" she hissed at Gendry as she threw his straw and napkins at him.

"Nothing. She just came over to say hi, that's all". He was too busy unwrapping his and two burgers to notice how annoyed she was.

"Do you know her then?" she demanded. He looked at her as he took a bite out of his first burger.

"Nawww" he replied, through a mouthful of food. Seeing that wasn't enough to appease Arya he added

"Of course not. Look she just wanted to give me her number. I said I wasn't interested as my _girlfriend…_" Gendry flashed his most devastating smile at Arya "…was in the queue. So she left. End of."

"It looked like a lot more than that from where I was standing." Arya huffed accusingly.

"Come on Arya. It happens all the time. I'm not going to be rude to the girl just because I'm not interested." He paused, then after thinking about it some more, asked

"You're not feeling threatened by some girl in McDonalds are you?" He regarded her carefully with those pale blue eyes.

How did she answer that? To tell him the truth - to admit that, _of course she bloody was,_ sounded totally pathetic. She didn't like hearing 'It happens all the time' either. Arya was worried he might be tempted by someone hotter than she was, by someone as hot as HE was. She felt so inexperienced. Having never been in a relationship before, she just wasn't sure how to handle this. So she just muttered 'No' before chewing on a cardboard chip.

"Good. Why would I want a burger when I've got a steak at home?" and he was laughing at his own stupid joke. _Ha Bloody Ha_, she thought to herself. Being compared to a bit of meat was a real compliment. At least he wasn't as uptight now as he'd been in the car.

"Are you going to eat that burger Arya?" She had only taken one bite then decided she wasn't hungry after all. Was it because the burger was tasteless or was it because her stomach was churning? She pushed the burger towards him and he ate hers too.

-o-

When they finally reached Maesters Hospital, they couldn't find anywhere to park. After driving once around the entire car park, Arya asked Gendry if he wanted to go into the hospital himself and she'd try and park the car. He didn't. She had never seen him nervous like this before. He always seemed to be so confident, self assured, cocky even, but now he was apprehensive and her being with him seemed to give him the reassurance he needed.

Finally, they saw someone walking towards a car and they got the space. Only five minutes to find the room.

He was out of the car first, like a sprinter off the blocks. He ran around to open her door, and the two of them hurried off towards the main entrance. Arya had to almost run to keep up, but he didn't seem to notice. When they got to the lifts, he pressed the 'call' button for the lift several times and was rocking up and down on his heels with impatience while they waited. Before the door was even fully open he was in, pulling her through the still opening door with him and jabbing the second floor button repeatedly while they stood waiting for the door to open all the way and then close again.

Immediately the lift doors opened they saw the sign for the Department of Genetics to the right. They had a short walk down a corridor, before they came out into a small rectangular space with a half dozen chairs and two secretaries sitting behind a glass partition. A sign with Dr Cressen's name was fixed above the window. Gendry was going to walk straight past, fixated on looking for room 237, but she pulled him to a stop, telling him 'I think this is it.'

Arya pressed the buzzer on the counter and one of the secretaries got up and slid open a window to talk to them.

"Hi, we've got an appointment to see Dr Cressen at three thirty." And although Arya was the one speaking, the woman couldn't peel their eyes of Gendry. _Here we go again, s_he thought.

"Take a seat. Dr Cressen should be here shortly." The secretary's eyes only left Gendry when she had to glance at the clock on the wall to check the time. Ok, he was gorgeous, but this woman was way too old to be ogling her boyfriend. Arya didn't think she would be able to get used to this. When he was around it was as if she became invisible.

The two of them sat on hard plastic seats in the corridor. Arya couldn't avoid noticing the two secretaries regularly stealing glances at Gendry. He seemed to be oblivious. Every time a door opened, or someone appeared at the end of the corridor Gendry bolted upright, only to slump back down in his seat as soon as it became clear it wasn't Doctor Cressen on his way to see them. Neither of them said anything, they just sat there, anticipation building with every passing minute.

Finally, two figures appeared at the end of the corridor. They were followed by a third man turning the corner slightly behind them. This group didn't look like any of the others that had passed. Arya nudged Gendry. He sat upright in his chair again. The two of them stared along the corridor at the approaching men.

Although one man was of average height and wearing a white shirt, the other two were tall and formally dressed in black, which was unusual for a summer's day in a hospital. Both of the tall men walked with an easy grace that radiated confidence and power. The shorter man on the left looked like the other staff they'd seen walking past; white shirt, sleeves rolled up and the ubiquitous ID badge clipped onto the belt of his trousers. The man in black beside him was as conspicuous as his companion was unremarkable. He was considerably taller than average, with slicked back, shoulder length black hair, a strong jaw and axe blade cheekbones. Everything about him looked expensive. Arya was sure his suit was Oliver Botang, with a black silk shirt open at the neck. Black, highly polished, hand made shoes finished his look. The effect was striking. All that black accentuated his smooth, pale skin and cold blue eyes.

The third man was partially hidden from view but they could see he was also dressed from head to toe in black and as tall as his companion, only this man's hair was blond and close cropped. Not many people chose to wear their hair like that and the group dynamic was strange. The corridor was wide enough for them to walk three abreast and they were obviously together, yet Mr. Blond walked two steps behind. She remembered Sansa's description of Joffrey's body guard. Close Protection. That fitted.

As the men drew nearer, Arya had to squeeze Gendry's hand, to reassure herself he was still beside her. The man in the black suit could have been Gendry ten years down the line. Any doubts she had about Gendry being related to the Baratheons immediately evaporated. If the man in front of her hadn't been ten years older, they could have passed for twins. Her own brothers looked less alike than these two.

Gendry let go of her hand and stood up to greet the doctor and Mr. Black Suit. Arya was transfixed by the two men, struggling to assimilate what she was seeing. Mr. Black Suit looked delighted with his younger twin and held out his hand to shake Gendry's.

"I don't need to be introduced to know I've met our mysterious Gendry." He declared to them all in a deep, cultured voice.

While Gendry was also dressed from head to toe in black, his monochrome look was made up of black T-shirt, black jeans and scuffed boots. Gendry's hair was clipped at the back and sides, but the floppy fridge confirmed that, if he let it grow, his hair would be the same as Mr. Black Suit's.

It was easier to look for differences between them than count the similarities. Their noses were different. Mr. Black Suit had a smaller nose – 'cute' was the way Arya would have described it, whereas Gendry's was longer, more Roman. Gendry was slightly taller and more heavily built, or perhaps it wasn't that their build was all that different, rather that Gendry had a manual job while his older twin looked like a wealthy executive more used to sitting at a desk, or more accurately, at the head of a boardroom table.

When Mr. Black Suit held out his hand for Gendry to shake, Arya noticed immediately that his nails were manicured and the skin was pale and soft. Gendry's, by comparison, were rough and weathered, with a rather grubby look, caused, Arya hoped, by ingrained engine oil.

Gendry didn't say anything. He looked as if he'd seen a ghost. Arya finally found the presence of mind to stand up herself and help him out.

Mr. Black Suit turned to her and held out the hand Gendry had just dropped. The man who was Gendry's older twin had a quick, easy smile and his pale blue eyes were framed by laughter lines that appeared when he smiled. Looking into those, so familiar, blue eyes was totally disconcerting. Arya also found herself lost for words.

Mr. Black Suit came to her rescue.

"Renly Baratheon at your service. I am Attorney for my brother Robert while he is ill. And you are Miss…?"

"Arya Stark" she stammered. She had never heard her voice sound so squeaky. His hand was firm, yet soft and he smiled reassuringly as he shook her hand. Arya felt herself warming to him immediately.

"Ahh, Stark - a very noble name. Can I be so bold as to ask where you are from Miss Stark?" He was studying her intently as he waited for her answer.

"Winterfell" she replied. "My father is Lord Eddard Stark."

Renly Baratheon's smile grew considerably wider.

"Well, this is an even greater surprise than I had imagined. Dr Cressen has discovered a secret relative who looks exactly like Robert and he brings with him Lady Stark of Winterfell. Now, who would ever have imagined that?" Renly looked so amused Arya thought he must be enjoying some sort of private joke at their expense. While Arya was wondering why her being a Stark pleased him so much, Renly bent his head and kissed the back of her hand with soft lips.

Everyone had been ignoring Dr Cressen, who now interrupted

"I am delighted you are all getting along so well, but could we take this little party into a private room please?"

They were ushered into meeting room 237, which had eight chairs around a rectangular table. The walls were covered by various images of The Double Helix, various charts and the usual hospital warnings of the dangers caused by failing to wash your hands. Dr Cressen sat at the far end of the table, Renly and Mr. Blond sat on one side, Gendry and Arya the other. Gendry sought out and gripped Arya's hand under the table.

The doctor wasted no time in getting started.

"Let me introduce myself to you Mr. Waters and Miss Stark. I am Dr Cressen, head of the department of genetics here at Maesters hospital. As you all know, Lord Robert Baratheon, our most generous patron, is critically ill and I have been leading a nationwide campaign to find a suitable genetic match to provide a stem cell donation. Let us be clear that, without this Lord Baratheon will certainly die and, even with a successful donation, his survival is far from guaranteed."

The doctor paused to allow his audience to reflect on the seriousness of the situation.

"The Baratheon family," Dr Cressen nodded across the table to Renly "have placed every possible asset at my disposal to facilitate finding a donor as quickly as possible. I am delighted to be able to confirm that a suitable donor has now been found." Dr Cressen then nodded to Gendry on the other side of the table.

"In fact, the genetic match is better than I could ever have hoped, given that all of Lord Baratheon's family has already proved to be unsuitable for donor purposes. Now we get to the reason for my calling you all here today. Mr. Waters is an _exact _genetic match. The odds against this are so remote that we can rule out coincidence. To give you an example: the chances of siblings being an exact match is only thirty percent and, as I have said, both of Lord Baratheon's siblings were unsuitable donors."

Again Dr Cressen paused to allow his audience to absorb the information.

"I want to ask you some background questions Mr. Waters. Do you have any objection to my asking these in front of our little audience here, as I can do this in private if you prefer?"

"No it's fine." Gendry muttered.

"Mr. Waters, can you tell me your date of birth please?" Gendry told the doctor, who noted the date before looking over at Renly and asking "Does the date fit?" Renly smiled, showing perfectly straight white teeth

"I believe that Robert spent the summer before you were born at Winterfell with Ned and Lyanna Stark, so the dates fit perfectly."

Arya unconsciously put her free hand up to her mouth and bit on her finger. She had never heard her father mention Robert Baratheon's name, yet Renly was saying he had spent a summer at Winterfell? And what did Renly know about her Aunt Lyanna? No one EVER mentioned her and if any of the Stark children dared to ask about her, the subject was always changed quickly. All Arya knew about her Aunt was that she had died when she was young and that Arya apparently looked like her. It was Gendry's turn to give _her_ hand a squeeze under the table.

Dr Cressen was pressing on with his questions

"Mother's name and occupation?" Gendry gave his mother's name, adding that she had died three years ago. While Renly looked concerned and seemed to be about to offer his condolences, the doctor never gave him time to, immediately asking

"And her occupation before she died?" Gendry glared at the doctor before saying, very deliberately

"She was the manageress of the 'The Wolf's Head' pub in Winterfell."

Mr. Blonde spoke for the first time "Well there's a surprise!", his words dripping with sarcasm.

"_And what do you mean by that?!_" Gendry growled through gritted teeth at Mr. Blonde, whose mouth was now twisted in a nasty sneer.

"Loras! Enough!" Renly barked, glaring at his bodyguard, which caused Mr. Blonde's sneer to drop only slightly. Arya had been convinced that the relationship between the two men was purely professional, but since when did a bodyguard interrupt a meeting like that?

"Please accept my apologies on behalf of my friend, Loras Tyrell. He has a difficult relationship with my brother and meant no offence to your mother Gendry. Unfortunately Robert now has a reputation as a heavy drinker and a womanizer, but we are interested in events that took place twenty five years ago and none of our opinions have any significance whatsoever on the events of the past." And he glared again at Loras, who paid no attention whatsoever to Renly's reprimand.

"Please continue Dr Cressen."

"What did your mother die of Mr. Waters?" The doctor asked. Now it was Renly's turn to be annoyed

"Dr Cressen, does that have any significance to the matter at hand? And will you please stop addressing my nephew as 'Mr. Waters'? It's clear to everyone around this table he is a Baratheon and we don't need another DNA test to prove it!" Gendry was quick with a biting response

"The name _Waters_ has done me fine for twenty five years and I've no great urge to change it now." He said coldly, looking directly at Renly, who shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Well, we can discuss that later, but I don't think you have any concept of the doors that will open to you once you accept the name 'Baratheon'."

"And why do you think I would want to be part of a family that ignored my mother for twenty five years **Mr.** Baratheon?" Gendry's voice was tight with barely controlled anger. His eyes didn't waiver from Renly's and the two men with the bright blue eyes stared at each other, neither willing to look away first.

It was Loras who finally broke the deadlock by drawling

"Renly, there's a lot _the boy_ still has to be told."

"You're right, as usual Loras." Sighed Renly, finally breaking eye contact with Gendry. "Dr Cressen, can you please skip the questions and explain to Gendry the implications of the donation."

"Assuming _Mr. Waters_ has no pre-existing health problems, then I anticipate no difficulty in obtaining a suitable bone marrow harvest from him during the next ten days, with a transplant to Lord Baratheon immediately thereafter. Whether the transplant will be successful or not, I cannot say, but we have the best possible chance due to the excellent genetic match."

"Does anyone have any questions so far?" Nobody spoke. Arya decided she had a question to ask as Gendry obviously wasn't going to

"I was just wondering about the health implications for Gendry **IF** he gives this donation?" Gendry frowned at her, annoyed she had asked and at the emphasis she had put on the word 'if'. Well, let him be annoyed she thought. Everyone here was acting as if this was a done deal but no one had actually _asked _Gendry if he'd do it.

Dr Cressen did not seem surprised by her question

"Assuming Mr. Waters has no underlying health problems, then harvesting the bone marrow will certainly be painful, but the process is over quickly and there will be no lasting side effects. He should rest for a few days before and after the procedure. I would anticipate he could return to work seven to ten days after the operation." Dr Cressen looked around the table.

"Well, if we have no more questions, Renly has specifically asked me to explain your paternity to you Mr. Waters. As I have said, exact matches, even amongst siblings are very rare. The striking physical resemblance between you, merely confirms to you both what I already know. Due to the genetic profiles, it is beyond reasonable doubt that you are the son of Lord Robert Baratheon."

Arya squeezed Gendry's hand and searched his face for some reaction. There was none. Renly good humouredly said "Welcome to the family nephew", but even that brought no response.

"Now does anyone have any more questions?" Again no-one else spoke, but Arya had a burning question she had wanted to ask from the moment Gendry had told her about the phone call

"Dr Cressen, I happen to know one of Lord Robert's children – Joffrey Baratheon. I was just wondering how Gendry could possibly be Robert's son, when he and Joffrey look nothing alike. I've seen photographs of all three of the Baratheon children and they are all so blond and so…" she looked at Gendry and smiled, trying to make an apology before she said it "...slim."

Dr Cresenn and Renly exchanged a glance that confirmed to Arya her question had hit her target and that the two men had already considered and discussed this. There was an awkward silence before Dr Cressen spoke again.

"I am not able to divulge confidential information relating to the genetic material we obtained, but I will not stop Renly if he chooses to share this information with you. As he has full Power of Attorney for Lord Baratheon, it is entirely up to Renly to decide what personal information relating to Robert he wishes to share." Everyone looked at Renly. He paused, as if trying to decide whether or not to proceed.

"Gendry, I'm going to tell you this only because it's going to affect your future. How much it will affect you, none of us can predict. Lady Arya, I must ask that you also respect the confidentiality of the information I am about to divulge and that you both confirm that you will not discuss this information with anyone beyond our group here. Do I have your agreement?" Arya nodded solemnly and Gendry muttered 'ok'.

"Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen are not and cannot be Robert's biological children. Although, to date, they have been accepted as such, some of us have had doubts for a considerable period of time. Robert's critical illness has brought matters to a head. Should Robert choose to alter the terms of his will and assign his majority shareholding in Baratheon Enterprises to his true heir, then the three children will lose millions in shareholdings, trust funds and income. If Robert lives long enough, then he will certainly divorce their mother, the formidable Cersi Lannister, on the grounds of her Adultery. The social stigma Cersi would have to endure as a result of the divorce would be as great a blow to such a woman as the financial losses. Now, this alone is damming enough, but unfortunately, our problems do not end there."

At this point Dr Cressen interrupted.

"I have already told you Renly, I have a statutory duty to report this and I will not withhold information relating to criminal activity." Renly didn't look at the doctor, but grimaced as he addressed Gendry

"Now we come to the crux of our problem. Dr Cressen and I have a difference of opinion as to how this sensitive matter should be handled. I would prefer not provoke the wrath of Cersi Lannister and her family while Dr Cressen wishes to bring the full force of Law down upon them."

"I'll remind you again that incest is still a crime in this country Renly." The Doctor's obvious annoyance was beginning to make him raise his voice. Renly calmly replied

"I am well aware of that Doctor, but a criminal investigation and a possible prison sentence, isn't going to endear any of us to the Lannisters and they are dangerous enemies to have. If you pursue this, it will be smeared over every gossip rag in Europe and none of us will emerge with our dignity intact."

"I'm not backing down on this Renly. A crime like this cannot go unpunished." Dr Cressen was now shouted at Renly, who seemed taken aback at the vehemence of the Doctor's response.

This time it was Gendry who asked a question, although perhaps not in the way Arya would have.

"Woah. Rewind. I get that Joffrey and the others aren't Robert's kids, but where does all this incest stuff come in?"

All Renly's earlier good humor had disappeared. His face was strained as he looked first at Dr. Cressen, then at Gendry.

"All of Robert's family, friends and employees were asked to provide a blood sample in the search for a donor. In the circumstances it would have been unconscionable to refuse to help your dying relative, so all of the Lannisters provided samples. Unfortunately for Cersi, this enabled Dr Cressen to prove that the father of those three children is certainly not Robert, but is, beyond reasonable doubt, Cersi's _brother _Jaime."

Arya couldn't accept what Renly had just said. The thought was too awful to contemplate. That was like her and Jon, or Robb… No, never, surely not? Had this Cersi Lannister really conceived three children with her brother and deceived her husband for decades? What kind of monster was this woman? If she was that scheming and manipulative, she didn't sound as if she would be prepared to give everything up without a fight. Renly seemed to be thinking along the same lines

"You're going to need to get yourself a good lawyer _Mr. Waters_."

"What do I need a lawyer for?"

"You need advice. I will support you in everyway I can _in private_, but in public, I must be seen to be impartial, acting only for the good of Baratheon Enterprises. As long as I have Robert's Power of Attorney, then I have ultimate control, but were that to be taken from me, or if Robert was to die before all this was settled then…."

"My family use Littlefingers" Arya interjected

"Fine, I'll go see them then." muttered Gendry

"Ahh, Petyr Baelish" Renly mused. "I shouldn't be surprised, given his ...ah… long standing connection with Lady Catelyn Stark. You could do worse Mr Waters, but had I know you would choose Littlefingers I would have given you a cheque for twice as much!"

Renly pulled a long, slim black wallet from his inside pocket. He opened it and extracted a stiff white envelope.

"This is for you Gendry. Call it…_expenses._" He reached across the table, offering the envelope to Gendry. Arya saw Gendry hesitate, indecision flickering across his face.

"I don't want your family's money **Mr.** Baratheon." Gendry said coolly.

"_Our _family's money you mean. Oh, I think you'd better take it and I'll see you get any additional funds you need."

Renly looked exceptionally pleased with himself as Gendry reluctantly accepted the envelope.

"Welcome to The Baratheon Empire. Now, I believe it's time for us to go and meet your father."


	24. Chapter 24

Gendry's father, the billionaire Lord Robert Baratheon, lay dying in a private room in another wing of Maesters Hospital. It had been an uncomfortable walk to the High Dependency Unit. Renly and Dr Cressen had marched ahead, with Arya and Gendry in the middle and that arse Loras bring up the rear. Renly had described Loras as a 'friend', but Gendry already knew, after only a half hour in the man's company that his dislike of Renly's friend/bodyguard/whatever, would be permanent. The man's sneering superiority, his arrogance and his comment about Gendry's mother was too much for Gendry to overlook. Renly himself wasn't so bad. In other circumstances Gendry would probably have rather liked him. But the situation forcing them together now wasn't conducive to friendship.

All his life, Gendry had been burning to meet his father, just so he could kill the fucker. While his childhood had been happy enough in some ways, it had been defined by his father's absence. Everything else seemed to flow from that; his mother's loneliness and bitterness, the lack of money, the charity shop clothes, the desperate feeling of being different from his friends, the awful Christmases with no extended family, and all under the noses of the bloody Starks who had everything he had lacked. Where had his father been when he'd needed him? Where had fucking Renly been? Renly was all '_welcome to the family_' now, '_here's some money nephew_' now, but that was never going to make up for a childhood with no father.

And now, after twenty five years, Gendry was finally going to meet him. Not only that, but it was within his power to kill the fucker just by doing _nothing_. Dr Cressen had been crystal clear about that – 'without the transplant Lord Baratheon will certainly die'. How wonderfully ironic that his father, who had abandoned his mother and given them _nothing_, now needed something from Gendry so badly he'd die without it. He allowed himself a brief moment of satisfaction. What goes around comes around eh? He'd never believed in Karma before, but it almost felt like higher forces were at work here. Gendry could have his revenge just by doing sweet fuck all.

Had his fucking father turned out to be a regular guy, maybe with another family, then Gendry could probably have handled that. He could maybe have understood why he hadn't hung around, but such a rich cunt who could have made his mother's life so much easier with just a fraction of the fortune he had?! Fucking Bastard.

Before the reached the High Dependency Unit, Renly asked Arya and Gendry to wait in a small, but very plush, waiting room until Dr Cressen made sure his father, Lord Bloody Baratheon, could see them. This was certainly not your usual hospital waiting room. The seats were soft brown leather; there was a fully stocked fridge, laptop and media centre. Even if you just came to visit a dying Billionaire, it seemed that you got special treatment.

Having to walk, having to talk to everyone earlier had kept Gendry from focusing on what was looming. The Meeting. But now, sitting here in the waiting room, with just a few minutes to go until he met his father, he found his hands were shaking. When Arya spoke, it was a relief: another temporary distraction.

"Aren't you wondering what went on in Winterfell that summer, when Robert, I mean, your Dad, stayed with my Dad and my aunt Lyanna?" She didn't wait for his answer, which was probably just as well, because why the hell would he have been thinking about that when he was about to meet his dying fucking father?

"You and Robb and Jon were all born within… what? Three months of each other? Don't you think it's really strange? I mean, I always knew something was odd about the way my Aunt Lyanna died. If it had been cancer or something, I think mum or dad would just have told us, but they never talked about it and they always changed the subject if any of us asked. I bet Renly knows. Do you think he'll tell us?"

She had a point. Now Gendry came to think about it, his father being linked, somehow, to Winterfell did explain a few things. Like why Ned Stark had given him that £30,000 deposit for his flat, why his mother had been given a cottage in the grounds of Winterfell and why she'd been promoted from barmaid to manageress of the pub after he was born. But why had she never told him who his father was? Surely she must have known? If she had, then why did she worry about money all the time and not chase Lord fucking B for some? Get a lawyer like Gendry was supposed to do now? There were too many questions and they were making his head hurt.

Gendry wondered if Arya knew her dad had given him £30,000. Then he wondered how much was in that envelope, stuffed in his back pocket, that Renly had given him. Maybe he could use Baratheon money to pay Ned Stark back? God, five minutes ago he was willing to throw the money back in Renly's, too bloody handsome, face and now he was wanting to give £30,000 of it away. But he'd rather Ned Stark had it than that prick Joffrey – and there was a whole other can of worms. Joffrey was Tobho Mott's boss. How was that going to pan out _if_, or most likely _when_, they found out about all this? Jesus Christ what a fucking mess.

A nurse popped her head around the door, interrupting his, increasingly negative, train of thought.

"Mr Baratheon, you can come in now if you want." Although the only other person in the room was Arya, it took Gendry a few seconds to realise the nurse was addressing him. He muttered "It's Mr Waters" at the nurse, but she had already turned away and was holding the door open for them.

As they both stood up, Arya gave him a big hug.

"Are you sure you want me to come?" she asked, looking like she'd rather not. But he really wanted her there by his side. Damn the Baratheons, she was all the family he wanted. Was this going to make it easier or harder with Arya and her family? Maybe it would all depend on what had gone on that summer in Winterfell. He would need to make good old Uncle Renly tell him, first chance he got.

The nurse led them along the corridor and, as soon as Gendry saw the two, black suited, body guards outside, he knew that was the room they were going to. One stood on either side of the door, eying them suspiciously as they approached and both standing to attention, although they had probably been there for hours. Why did a dying man need bodyguards in a hospital?

The nurse spoke to the man on the left, who nodded them through. The smell hit Gendry full in the face as he walked through the door. It was the same horrific smell of death and decay that he'd experienced before when his mother was in a similar room in a similar hospital, a smell he'd hoped never to experience again. A nurse was at the near side of the bed, blocking his view of the man in the bed, but Renly sat at the other side and stood up to greet them as they walked in.

"Hello Gendry, Lady Stark. I'm sure my brother will be delighted to see you _together_." No one could have failed to notice that Renly seemed to be delighted with Arya and here he was again, putting the emphasis on the word 'together.' Here was another question to ask when he got Renly alone.

Gendry moved around the bed and, for the first time in his life, laid eyes on the man who'd fathered him and fucked off before he was born.

A dried husk of a man lay before him. Several lines from the machines that whirred and clicked beside him disappeared into the man's scrawny neck, all held in place with tape, around which blood had dried and crusted. The blue eyes were rheumy, the cheeks hollow, but he still had jet black hair, a strong jaw and his shoulders were broad, if thin, under the hospital gown. One look would confirm to anyone that the dying man was, unmistakably, Renly's brother and Gendry's father.

Renly broke the awkward silence, speaking loudly at the dying man

"Robert, this is your son. Do you remember we spoke about him? His name is Gendry and his girlfriend is Lady Arya Stark."

Lord Baratheon's eyes flitted briefly to Gendry, but quickly came to rest on Arya, widening with surprise as soon as he saw her. His voice was weak, but Gendry could hear echoes of the same, deep baritone as Renly's when his father spoke

"After all these years. Have you finally come back to me Lyanna?" The old man held out a shaking hand to Arya. Arya exchanged worried glances with Gendry and Renly.

"What should I do?" Arya hissed to Renly. Renly broke the awkward silence again

"Robert, this isn't Lyanna. This is Arya Stark, Ned's daughter." And he took Robert's shaky hand. Robert's eyes never left Arya and he didn't seem to hear what Renly had said. He spoke again to Arya.

"I forgive you Lyanna. I always did. Will you forgive me?" his weak voice was cracking with emotion. As Arya leaned closer tears rolled out of the sides of Lord Robert's eyes. Arya said, very gently

"My Lord, I am not Lyanna so I have no power to forgive you. I am Arya Stark, Eddard's daughter and I am here with your son – Gendry."

The old man looked bewildered but finally directed his gaze to Gendry. Something that might have been shock crossed his face. "My son…?" he murmured, letting go of Renly's hand and grabbing Gendry's arm. Gendry felt a wave of revulsion as the old man's bony fingers clawed around his wrist. The skin was burning and dry as paper.

"Yes. They tell me I am your son." Gendry said coldly, fighting the urge to shake the withered claw off his arm. The old man tried to pull himself up, using Gendry's strong arm as his support. With a ferocity that stunned them all, Lord Baratheon rasped

"_Don't let her go son. Don't repeat my mistake. Do anything, ANYTHING to keep her. Whatever you have to do, DO IT!_" He then fell back onto the bed, exhausted by the effort of grabbing Gendry and delivering his message. His eyes were now closed and his breathing heavy. One of the machines beeped faster. The nurse fussed over him, putting an oxygen mask over his mouth and giving the three visitors disapproving looks.

"I think we'd better go. It's not good for him to be this agitated." Renly told the other two. Gendry couldn't wait to get out of the room, away from the stink and the man causing it. As he turned to go, Robert pulled the oxygen mask down to his chin and tried to talk, but the hoarse voice that rasped out of him was barely more than a whisper.

"We need him Renly. Promise me you'll bring him back. You must bring him back before the month is up. Promise me." Bending over the bed, Renly whispered something that Gendry didn't catch. Renly adjusted his brother's mask, then joined Gendry and Arya at the door.

"Goodbye Lord Baratheon." Arya called from the door and gave a kind of wave. Gendry was lost for words. He turned, took a final look at the figure on the bed and muttered 'Goodbye father' so quietly even Arya struggled to hear him.

Another, younger nurse was waiting outside with Loras. The friend/bodyguard stood stony faced and unreadable, but the nurse blushed and smiled as she looked at Gendry and Renly

"Mr Baratheon, could you come with me? Dr Cressen needs more bloods done." Renly clasped Gendry's shoulder.

"I think she means you and not me, thank God. I hate those bloody needles. I'll be in touch shortly nephew." And with that Renly and Loras strode off in the other direction, leaving Gendry with Arya and the blushing nurse.

There were more forms to fill in. After that, a long needle was stuck in Gendry's arm and attached to six different phials in turn, which were all, filled, removed and stored carefully. All the while, Arya sat and held his other hand, which gave him something to focus on other than that big fucking needle.

It was a relief to get out into the car park and the fresh air. Arya asked him if he was ok to drive. If he was being honest, he did feel a bit shaky, but if Arya had struggled with the traffic before, at six o'clock it would be twice as bad. Having her drive would only have made him feel worse. Once they were onto the motorway, she asked him how he felt. He felt, drained, confused, angry but just said 'fine'. What he really needed was to go for a long run. Running always helped him think and God, did he need to do some thinking tonight. He really didn't feel like talking about everything that had happened yet, even with Arya. He wanted to get everything straight in his mind first, so he decided the safest thing to do would be to change the subject

"Remember we've got a date on Saturday? I'm taking Rickon for a bike ride and you're staying over?"

"Yes of course. Can't wait babe." She rubbed her hand up his thigh, distracting him from the road ahead and from what he still had to say.

" I've got us on the guest list to see a band - 'Fire and Blood' – ever heard of them?"

"Of course I haven't, but they sound awful. Please tell me it's not one of those thrashy metal bands you used to like?" And just to wind her up he said

"Yeah, and for their encore they spray fake blood everywhere." She pulled a disgusted face

"Ok, I'm just kidding. They're more 'rock'. Fire and Blood are actually the support band, so we need to be there by eight, but you're gonna love them."

She didn't look convinced.

"Text me and tell me what time I can come over and just wear something black to the gig. Maybe some red, but no bright colours – it's not Take That were going to see ok?"

"Ok, but I'm not wearing those bloomin' bike trousers again if that's what you mean!" she was scowling at him, her mouth set in that pout he just couldn't get enough of.

"Why not, did you not like what happened last time you wore those _bloomin' trousers?" _and he couldn't stop himself smiling at the memory of the two of them in his bathroom, trying to get that zip down and his first, wonderful look at her cunt when her panties had come down with those bloomin' trousers.

He looked across at her and she was grinning now too. He hoped with everything he had that the two of them were going to be alright. She'd only been back in his life for a couple of weeks and he couldn't imagine ever going back to life without her.

"Ok, not the trousers, but we're going on the bike, so can you at least wear my jacket?" he asked

"Yeah, fine, I actually like wearing your jacket. It smells of you and that turns me on, big time, _big boy_." He liked that! She'd never called him that before and the suggestive way she said it made his cock twitch with anticipation. Thinking about what he'd been planning all week brought another big grin to his face and a bigger bulge to his jeans.

"Before we go to the gig, in the afternoon, I want you to wear a skirt Arya and some nice underwear. I've got something I want us to do."

"So are you going to tell me what it is Sir, or are you going to keep me in suspense until Saturday?" She purred. Sexy Arya was back, peeking out at him from under her golden hair that had suddenly, and conveniently, fallen across her face.

"Is your bedroom still purple with a poster of Brandon Flowers in guy liner above the bed?" he smirked at her

"Yes, but how did you know that?" she gasped.

"I was in it once, years ago, when Robb went to get one of his CD's back."

"Well, I've just never got around to redecorating." She was obviously embarrassed at still having a room full of posters of her teenage crushes, but he didn't care about that.

"Just as well, 'cos I've dreamed about making love to you in your purple bedroom, on your bed, with Brandon fucking Flowers watching us, for four years Arya and I'm gonna do it on Saturday."


	25. Chapter 261

**Hi, guys. If you've read the other 24 chapters then you'll know I've never done an author's note before. It's been a long time coming and you'll get another one at the end of this chapter. You may have noticed that this is chapter 26 and the whereabouts of missing chapter 25 will be revealed at the very end. However, unexpectedly I've had to split this chapter as there's so much going on. It's a busy Saturday night in Westeros! So here is chapter 26.1. 26.2 will be coming at ya tomorrow…**

Gendry leaned back on her single bed in his black leather motorbike trousers with the white flashes up the thighs that, as usual, directed her eyes to his bulging crotch. His back was against her purple bedroom wall and he was wearing the tightest white T shirt she'd ever seen a man wear. Brandon Flowers, lead singer of the Killers, stared down from the wall at them through his black eye make up. Arya was grateful Gendry hadn't mentioned any of her other posters. She'd taken all the other ones down. Take That - (_what_ had she been thinking?) and Ricky Martin - (OMG… just OMG).

Although they'd made love four times now (well, included that one time in his kitchen that was really a fuck) she felt just as nervous as her first time. Having him, all muscles and _fuck me_ attitude in her bedroom, surrounded by all the paraphernalia of her childhood, was freaking her out. Her doll's house was still in the room for goodness sake! They'd already been caught making out by Rickon – who had been sent back upstairs by her mum to ask if they she was going to be around for family dinner (obviously just a ploy by Lady Catelyn as Arya had already told her she couldn't as the band started at eight). When Rickon had barged in, Arya had managed to jump off Gendry's lap and he had been able to hide his rampant erection by leaping up and turning his back to the door, pretending to be fascinated by her book shelf. She wanted him with an intensity and a desperation that scared her, but she was also terrified of getting caught in the act by her mother.

Gendry was much more relaxed. He'd already told her that, ever since he was in her room once, years ago, he'd fantasised about making love to her here. She found that so hot: to know that he'd wanted her, even when she was a stupid, seventeen year old swot. Knowing that he also wanted her so badly now turned her on, more than her pathetic seventeen year old self could ever have imagined. She'd been fantasising about this since he'd told her about it on Wednesday. She hadn't seen him since and absence hadn't just made her heart grow fonder, it had made her panties wet every time she thought about him in her bedroom.

She straddled him again as he lounged on her bed. As he'd requested she was wearing a skirt. She'd gone to London to do some shopping with Sansa the day before and bought some clothes she thought he'd like. She was wearing a black leather pencil skirt and Agent Provocateur underwear. Sansa had told her that, if Gendry wanted sexy underwear, it _had_ to be Agent Provocateur. Sansa had dragged her into Harrods to buy some. The prices had made her eyes water and the styles had made her cheeks blush, but the effect it was having on Gendry was worth it.

Her black leather skirt was knee length, so not too slutty, but still easy enough to hoist up and it was currently sitting around her waist as she kneeled over his thighs. Arya was wearing sheer black, lacy top stockings (Sansa had advised her to go for hold up stockings rather than suspenders as there wouldn't be any tell tale bumps under the leather skirt for their mother to spot) and a pair of tiny black frilly panties that had extra straps cut high over her hips. The panties alone had cost over a hundred pounds and then there was also the matching bra. It had tiny cups and scraps of lace that barely covered her nipples, but also extra straps over the tops of her breasts.

Sansa had suggested Arya to wear a simple white shirt over it, to let the bondage style straps peek through. As she was quickly realising Sansa was an expert at everything to do with sex (well, _almost_ everything!), she had taken her big sister's advice and Gendry couldn't get enough of it. His hands had been all over her since he'd managed to persuade Rickon to bring him to her room after their bike ride. That had been almost an hour ago and since then Gendry had been all over her, fascinated by the contrast between the lace at the top of her stockings and her bare thighs and loving all the bondage style straps of the panties. His hands had been under her shirt, running over her nipples, more bondage straps, then under the bra. Eventually he'd worked his hands down into her panties. Now she was panting with desire and frustration. She'd never experienced foreplay like this before and she thought she might even come just by grinding herself hard enough on that rock hard bulge in his leather trousers.

All the time his hands had been exploring her underwear he was kissing her and biting her lips and neck. She was trying to concentrate on kissing him back, but her eyes kept flicking to the door. She was terrified her mother was going to walk in on them.

Lady Catelyn had already told Rickon and Arya that she didn't want '_that boy_' or his motorbike anywhere near either of them. Arya had been livid. The huge fight with her mother had never actually ended and had only been put on hold by Lady Catelyn screaming "Wait until your father hears about this" before storming off in an almighty rage. Arya suspected that it was only Rickon's pleadings that had stopped their mother having the Winterfell Estate gates locked against Gendry and his bike. Arya hadn't even dared to mention she was intending to stay overnight at his flat.

Arya kept trying to push those thoughts to the back of her mind as Gendry's kissing became more urgent. His hands on her bottom were pressing her harder to him, as if he was trying to push his cock up into her through his leather trousers.

"God, I can't take much more of this Arya" he moaned into her neck. "I _need_ to come inside you." She wanted him too, desperately, but didn't see how were they going to manage it?

"Can we please just go back to your flat?" she whispered breathlessly as he nibbled along her collar bone.

"You know that's not what I came here for. Take off your panties."

"I'm worried we get caught Gendry." She whispered, but she did what she was told. She eased up off him, and peeled her panties off, delicately stepping out of them in her stiletto heels as the scrap of straps and lace fell on the floor.

"Then let's make sure we can't get caught." He stood up, unbuckled his belt and trousers and let his cock spring free. She could already see the tip was glistening, ready to slide inside of her.

"Lean your hands against the door so no one can open it and spread your legs." Again she did as she was told, expecting to be frisked like they did in the movies. Instead she felt the big, blunt tip of his clock press between her legs and his smooth, leather clad thighs on the back of hers. She spread her legs slightly wider and immediately he was in. The feeling of his hot cock already siding in and out and rubbing against the front of her tight pussy made her feel so deliciously stuffed, she knew she would come soon. After all that foreplay she _needed_ to come and she wanted it to happen as quickly as possible.

He'd already shown her how to touch herself to help him bring her to a climax and she felt she _had_ to rub the little nub of her clit now. She took one hand off the door and stroked herself down to where his big, hard cock was stretching her lips apart. He was setting a ferocious pace behind her and she picked up his rhythm, rubbing herself hard and fast while trying to push her bottom back against his thighs, desperate to avoid being toppled forward by his ramming his cock into her. She couldn't remember ever being this turned on before and the feeling of his balls banging against the inside of her thighs and the potential danger of getting caught, was ramping up her excitement to a level she'd never experienced before.

"Have I ever told you that you've got a fantastic arse?" he panted as he kneaded her hips and bottom with his fingers

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

She desperately tried not to think about anyone on the other side of the door hearing them. She tried to focus on the orgasm that was beginning to flare in her clit, spreading down to where his cock was pounding into her. His fingers were digging into her hips, he was gasping and she was coming. The orgasm was the most intense she'd experienced yet. She knew she was moaning his name but she couldn't stop herself. Her legs were trembling and it was all she could do to keep standing as wave after wave of shuddering, ecstatic release washed over her.

While she was still experiencing the last shudders of her orgasm, there was a knock at the door.

"Arya. Gendry. Can I come in?" Shit! It was Sansa

Gendry was already pulling out of her and Arya felt cum ooze down the inside of her thighs as she straightened up and tried to answer Sansa - not so loudly that her sister would know she was right behind the door and not so quickly that Sansa would guess they were up to something. She checked Gendry, who had sat down in the chair at her desk and was almost finished buckling his belt back up. She straightened her hair and called out "Come in Sansa."

Her big sister opened the door and instantly clocked Arya's flushed face, Gendry's hands awkwardly folded across his crotch and the Agent Provocateur panties on the floor by the bed where Arya had kicked them off. Oh Shit! Caught! Arya crossed her legs, trying in vain to hide the evidence of their lovemaking. His semen was now tickling the back of her knee.

"So what have you two been up to this afternoon then?" Sansa smirked. Before Arya could think of an answer, Gendry replied

"Oh, Arya's just been showing me that underwear you picked out for her yesterday and I hear you got some for yourself" And he gave her a bigger smirk back. Unperturbed Sansa shot back

"Ok, lover boy, see how that news goes down with Mum and Dad. They're waiting for the two of you in the library and you're bloody lucky Mum didn't come up to fetch you herself!"

"Shit, do you know what they want Sansa?" Arya wasn't looking forward to hearing _anything_ her mother had to say about Gendry.

"Nope, but I don't think they're going to be congratulating you on your shagging practice. And Mum's livid that Robb asked you to be his best man Gendry. The two of them had a huge fight about it and what's _really_ pissing her off is that she can't get him to change his mind. _Robb needs you Gendry_!" Sansa put on a stupid voice as she mocked her brother _needing _Gendry.

Sansa stuck her tongue out at Gendry before disappearing out of the door.

"Shit, Shit, Shit!" Arya cursed, hurriedly unzipping the leather skirt and pulling of the white shirt.

"Come on Arya, what are you so bothered about? Even if they know we're _shagging_, you're nearly twenty one and you've been living in London for three years. It's not like they expect you to be a nun or something is it?"

"Oh God, you have no idea Gendry. My Mum is just a stuck up witch and I don't think _anyone_ would ever please her." Gendry looked crestfallen

"But I know your Dad likes me." He said, hopefully.

"Yeah, well, I don't care what either of them thinks. I know what I think and that's that you are the best, kindest, sexiest man I've ever met and we're a team now." As easily as that, her mind was made up. After being with him through the hospital ordeal, she realised that, if it came down to a choice between Gendry and her Mother, she would choose him.

"So come on, let's go and face the inquisition together." She hugged him reassuringly, wishing she felt as confident as she hoped she sounded.

After quickly putting the hundred quid panties back on (they were soaking, but having spent all that money on them she was determined to get at least a Saturday night's wear out of them) she wriggled into the low slung black leather jeans she'd also bought from Harrods and a sparkly black, backless top that tied around her neck and waist. The top didn't leave much to the imagination, but it was Saturday night and she had a hot date. Sansa was a bad influence when it came to shopping. Her plan to never use that Platinum credit card again had been abandoned and then some.

"So what do you think? Is this black enough for you?" she asked a drooling Gendry.

"Fuck yeah! But I don't want you going out like that! I don't want other guys seeing you dressed like that." She playfully punched his chest.

"Well, we don't have time for me to choose another outfit, so you'll just have to put up with it." Knowing her mother would NOT approve of the backless top, she put on Gendry's leather jacket; the one Rickon had been wearing earlier. The top actually looked quite respectable as long as you didn't see it had no back to it. Together they went downstairs to face the music.

-o-

Lord and Lady Stark were sitting in the library, each in their own, oversized brown leather chair and each nursing their drink of choice. Lady Catelyn cradled a large Gin and Tonic and Ned held a heavy whisky glass with a double measure of amber liquid.

Gendry had been in the room before – on Monday morning when he'd first come to pick Arya up on his bike. He automatically looked up at the ceiling again. The fresco of the huge wolf savaging the stag actually meant something to him now. How could _everything_ have everything changed so much in a week? It occurred to him now that the image on the ceiling was a warning. Winterfell didn't want him here. He squared his shoulders and faced Arya's parents with his head held high.

"Sit down the two of you." Ned growled, without looking at them, focusing on the amber nectar he was swirling around the bottom of his glass. They sat down on the nearest couch, not daring to sit too close to each other. Gendry didn't the look of the smug sneer on Caitlyn's face: for some reason it reminded him of Loras Tyrell.

"I hear you two have been seeing each other since Arya returned from London." Lord Stark declared slowly. He finally looked at them both, his hard gaze settling on Gendry. Gendry was genuinely shocked by the hostility radiating from Eddard Stark. The man had previously shown him nothing but kindness and support and Gendry held him in the utmost respect, but what on earth had provoked this change?

Lady Catelyn was clearly delighted at the change in Eddard's attitude. Her voice was shrill and brittle and her glazed eyes left Gendry in no doubt she'd already had too many G&T's while waiting on the two of them to appear.

"_I'm not having it!_" she screamed at the two of them.

"_You_" she jabbed a dumpy finger towards Arya "_are not wasting your life on him_" and this time Gendry got the finger. The two of them were taken aback by the sheer contempt in her voice.

"_He's got no money, no prospects and you_…" she jabbed her stumpy digit toward Arya again "…_are not to see him again. Do you understand me?_" Caitlyn's stretched face was twisted with hatred and she was spitting the words out through clenched teeth. Gendry was immobile – stunned.

Arya looked to her father, desperate for his support

"Dad!" she pleaded "Are you going to let her dictate to me who I go out with?" her father looked slowly up from his glass.

"He's not for you Arya." Lord Stark's words were cold, final and brooked no discussion.

"Lord Stark" Gendry interrupted. "I've got something here that might make a difference Sir. I've got all the money I owe you. Here!" and Gendry pulled out a white envelope, similar to the one Renly had given him a few days before. Standing up, he offered it to the man he'd looked up to his whole life. Eddard Stark never even looked at him. He swirled the whisky around his glass then drank it down in one go.

"Put it away boy. I did that for your mother, not for you. Your kind isn't welcome here. Get out and don't come back here again."

Gendry felt panic rising in his chest. What had he done to deserve this? How could he make things right for Arya and for him? He dropped the envelope on the table.

"Well Sir, my mother's dead and _this_ _boy_ doesn't want your charity. You might as well take the money. You'll not see me again." He made for the door, but before he could leave, Arya grabbed his arm, trying to hold him back

"Gendry, don't you dare go with out me!" she wailed. He stopped.

Arya tried to plead with her parents one last time.

"Mum, Dad, can you not see I love him and that you're just two bloody snobs! I don't care how much money he's got – do you understand that? I'M NOT LIKE YOU!" Catelyn Stark started laughing hysterically

"You are a Lady of Winterfell and he is NOTHING! He'll drag you down into the gutter with him!"

"Enough!" Eddard Stark barked. "This isn't about money Arya. I _know_ his type, and trust me, you'll be better off without him. You don't know what I know. I am saving you from making a mess of your life and you'll thank me for it one day."

"_Tell me what you really mean father! _

_You know he's Robert Baratheon's son don't you? This is what it's all about isn't it? _

_So tell me about Lyanna then! _

_Did you save her from making a mess of her life?_

_DID YOU?_"

In seconds, Lord Stark was out of his chair and his hand was rushing towards Arya to slap her across the face, but Gendry was too quick for him. He grabbed Eddard's arm in mid air and wrenched the older man towards him. Ned grimaced in pain and shock as Gendry twisted his arm, and snarled in Lord Stark's face

"Don't you ever _fucking _touch her Ned. If you do, I swear I'll come for you." With all his considerable strength Gendry shoved Arya's father away, sending him stumbling into his chair. As Ned slumped down, Lady Catelyn launched herself at Gendry screaming

"_You liar! The Baratheon's have nothing to do with you!_" while trying to scratch at his eyes with her blood red nails. All Gendry had to do was turn his head away. She was too short to reach his face and he easily caught her by her wrists and pinned her arms above her head. He lifted her off the ground effortlessly, hanging her by her wrists as she tried, in vain, to kick him "_You bastard! Your mother was a common whore_!" Gendry walked her backwards to her chair to dump her in it.

"And YOU are a terrible mother" he said with feeling as he dropped her from a considerable height, deliberately missing the chair so she sprawled to the floor at his feet.

Then he turned his attention to his beloved Arya. He wouldn't have been surprised if she had been hysterical after seeing all that, but his girl was obviously made of stronger stuff.

"I'm going Arya and I'll never come back here. You deserve so much better than this…" before he could finish, she was telling him she was coming too. He took a moment to search her face

"Are you sure Arya? I don't know what's going to happen from now on, and I don't want you to loose your family."

"I'll never loose the ones that matter to me" she said, as she turned her back on her Mother and Father and walked out of Winterfell with Gendry.


	26. Chapter 26 2

As Arya clung onto Gendry as the big bike roared away from Winterfell, she knew this was the start of another chapter of her life. Maybe it had been coming for a while. She couldn't deny she felt that something had called her back to spend the summer at Winterfell. If she hadn't come back now, who would have gone with Gendry to the hospital? Who would have been there for him when he met his father? Gendry _needed_ her and now she needed him.

She couldn't believe she felt so calm after turning her back on her parents. Maybe she was in shock? But she felt calm, knowing the decision she had made was the right one. Was that what shock felt like?

Her Mother's behaviour hadn't surprised her: Arya had seen her do worse to Jon before, particularly after she'd been drinking, but her Father trying to slap her _had_ shocked her. She had never seen him lift his hand to any of his children before. The secret about Lyanna must be a terrible one to provoke a reaction like that. She remembered what she'd shouted at him, just before he'd raised his hand - "_Did you save her from making a mess of her life?" _ She'd only said it because her Father told her that was what he was doing by stopping her seeing Gendry - saving her from making a mess of her life. Did he mean that a man had ruined Lyanna's life? Was the secret a love story that had gone horribly wrong? Well, that was never going to happen to her with Gendry, but she needed to find out what Lyanna's secret was, and as soon as possible.

She'd walked out with nothing. Before she'd had everything that money could buy, yet she'd felt empty and alone. Now she had nothing except the clothes on her back but she felt protected, loved and happier than ever. She squeezed Gendry tightly with her arms and her thighs. He pushed up his visor and looked over his shoulder at her, his wonderful blue eyes shining with the same love she felt for him. As long as the two of them were together she just knew everything would be fine.

It didn't take long to get to his flat. As they turned into the car park, she saw there was a huge black car parked in Gendry's space. Gendry slowed the bike to a standstill in the visitors parking space and waited for Arya to slide off the back of the bike before easing the bike onto it's stand. She loved the way his hair was all tousled when he first took his helmet off and wished he wouldn't immediately start running his hand through it to smooth it down. As she watched him fix his hair she asked him who he though had parked in his space. He looked uneasy and avoided her eye contact. She knew he was hiding something. He'd always been a terrible liar and she was glad to see that didn't seem to have changed. She walked over to have a look at the car. It was about half again as long and wide as every other car and barely squeezed between the lines of his parking space. There was no denying it was gorgeous and super sporty. As she got closer she see the badge - 'Aston Martin Vanquish'. Hmm, wasn't that one of those James Bond cars men lusted after?

"Just how much money did Renly give you babe?"

Gendry looked sheepish. "£50,000" he mumbled.

"Hmm, I thought a car like this would have been much more expensive." Boys and their toys! She couldn't believe he'd blown £50,000 on a bloomin' car. Then she remembered their conversation in Baratheon's garage about her birthday Mercedes (the one that she was never going to get now) and realised that's _exactly _what he'd spend his money on.

"Umm, yeah, it was…err…I mean they are. Nearer £200,000"

"WHAT!?" She yelped. He was looking everywhere but at her and fiddling with the visor of his Bull helmet. Stupid Bull Headed Boy!

"Oh Gendry, please tell me you didn't get into debt to buy that?" she moaned

"What? Don't be daft! Who'd lend _me_ £200,000?"

"So…did the fairies give it to you then?" For some reason that made him laugh

"Well, that's closer to the truth! Renly and Loras just turned up with it yesterday. Renly thought I'd like it and… well, he was right!" Gendry picked her up and twirled her around, whooping

"I've got a fucking Aston Martin!" at the top of his voice. His laughter and obvious delight were infections and she couldn't help but be happy for him. He was like a kid at Christmas. But what had happened to 'I don't want your money Renly?'

"I'll tell you all about it later, but I need something to eat, get changed and we've got to get to that gig. Come on, I'm starving!" Arya groaned. Here he goes again with that 'I'm starving' thing. Imagining them going to McDonalds for a drive through in his new car gave her a laugh.

He made her steak and salad for dinner. He'd boasted he was 'handy in the kitchen' to her before, but she'd thought he was referring to that sex on the breakfast bar. It turned out he meant he was a good cook. And he was. The steak in a peppercorn sauce was the best she'd ever had, but it was an odd combination. When she'd asked if she was getting potatoes or chips with it, he'd looked horrified. 'Too many carbohydrates!' he'd told her, taking off the tight white t shirt and showing off his rock hard abs. 'Low carbs, flat abs, babe.' She guessed she'd better get used to it if she was going to live with him and she _did_ like those flat abs!

Gendry's idea of getting ready to go out on Saturday night was changing his T shirt. Instead of the white one, he pulled on an identical black one. He said it was a compression top for running, but whatever it was, it showed off his physique perfectly. It had a silver 'X' across his shoulders and shiny details in exactly the right places to emphasise his muscles. Never mind him worrying about her going out in leather jeans and a sparkly top, she wasn't sure she wanted HIM going out looking that hot.

No matter how many times, she tried to ask him about Renly, he managed to change the subject. Oh, he told her that the car was a 'peace offering' and that Renly and Loras had turned up at his work with it on Friday. He told her that Thobo Mott nearly fell over himself fussing around Renly and when Renly said he was 'borrowing' Gendry for the rest of the day Thobo's face was a picture. But he never got around to telling her exactly what Renly had said about anything. Arya was dying to know what Renly had said about her Father and Aunt Lyanna, but as Gendry kept avoiding the issue, she began to wonder if he'd even asked his uncle anything about that at all. Maybe they just talked about bloomin' cars all day. It certainly sounded like it.

-o-

The gig was in area of Westeros she'd never been to before. 'King's Landing' Gendry called it. It looked old and rundown. The streets were narrow and most of the shops were either boarded up or selling downmarket, cheap goods. Gendry obviously knew where they were going and he guided them smoothly through the narrow streets. Eventually, she could see neon lights in the distance, on the front of a big black building spelling out 'The Tourney'. As they got closer she could see a row of motorbikes lining the road in front of the hall and crowds of people, all in black, milling around outside.

Gendry slowly rode along the row of parked bikes until they got to the end, where he reversed the bike into place at the end of the long row. After Arya took her helmet off, she had a chance to look at all the bikes. She didn't see any as big and shiny and green as Gendry's and for the first time, began to see why he was so proud of it. This wasn't the kind of place you'd bring an Aston Martin and she understood now why he'd insisted they go on the bike.

It seemed that the bikes were part of the show. Certainly some had stunning paint jobs, but beyond that, Arya knew nothing other than it felt very cool and daring to be dressed in black leather, helmet slung over her arm, walking towards the gig with Gendry. There was a queue lined up outside the main entrance and a 'Sold out' banner across the closed ticket office. She noticed quite a few people had 'Fire and Blood' T shirts on, or had the words sprayed across the backs of their leather jackets; often with the image of a dragon. For a support band, they seemed to have a lot of fans.

Gendry didn't stop at the end of the queue and instead walked right up to the entrance. The biggest bouncer on the door greeted Gendry by yelling "Hey Bull! On the guest list tonight?" as they approached. Arya felt dozens of envious eyes on her as they were waved through into The Tourney.

The skinny boy in the cloak room was slipped a twenty pound note by Gendry, along with their helmets and jackets, to make sure his precious Bull helmet was safe. Gendry nodded appreciatively when the skinny boy put it on the highest shelf at the furthest end of the cloakroom.

Arya had worried she might have been over dressed, or at least over exposed, in her backless, sparkly top, but there was such a variety of old, young, tattooed and bare flesh on display, she decided no-one would be paying her any attention - except Gendry, who protectively slipped his arm around her waist as they walked up the stairs, following the crowd.

Everyone was wearing black as Gendry had predicted and the walls and floor of the place were painted black too, but the paint was scratched and tatty. Old gig posters and flyers were randomly stuck on the walls, frequently ripped and if not ripped, peeling at the edges. The ceiling was low and the whole place reminded Arya of an underground bunker. It certainly wasn't anything like the sports arenas she'd seen bands in before.

The ceiling was so low, Arya felt that a tall man could have jumped up and touched it. The black ceiling was, incongruously, decorated with random disco balls, slowly spinning and reflecting little squares of brilliance around the otherwise gloomy, black hall. As they walked across the floor towards a quieter bar at the far end of the hall Gendry remembered to say

"Hey, Arya, if anyone asks if you want a drink tonight, don't you dare say 'Pinot bloody Grigio!"

"Don't worry babe, I'm on Jack and Black tonight!" Arya had never even tried Jack Daniels and coke before, but Rickon had told her that's what all the bikers drank and Gendry seemed pleased.

"Good girl" he laughed as they reached the bar.

As Gendry got the drinks she watched the people at the bar, fascinated by the wide range of ages and styles. One man standing at the far end really caught her eye. He stood out, not just because he was very tall, but mostly because he looked so smart. Although he was wearing the ubiquitous black, his shirt was ironed, tucked neatly into black suit trousers, and he had that, ramrod straight, ex forces way of standing that she had noticed Loras and Lord Baratheon's bodyguards all had. But he had long hair, swept to the other side and none of the bodyguards she'd seen before had long hair. She decided she was probably just being paranoid, and anyway, what was so unusual about ex military types going to rock concerts?

While she watched Gendry have his usual effect on the barmaid, Arya noticed that the ex-forces man was also watching Gendry. Maybe the man was gay. Surely Gendry didn't have the same effect on gay men that he had on woman? Arya didn't think she could cope if _everyone_ fancied her man. When Gendry moved away from the bar to find his way back to her, the tall man moved too and as he turned to follow Gendry, Arya gasped when she saw the other side of his face. Although the long hair was swept over the other side of his face, that side was horrifically scarred, puckered and red, just as Sansa had described her burned close protection officer. It all fitted, the height, the stance, the scarring, but why would a Lannister bodyguard be interested in Gendry? Suddendly she realised it was obvious - the Lannisters _knew_. Somehow they knew Gendry was the true son of Lord Baratheon and they were keeping an eye on him. Why she didn't know, but none of the scenarios that sprung to mind were pleasant.

As Gendry handed her the Jack Daniels and coke she hissed at him to 'Don't look now' then proceeded to tell him about what she'd seen and what Sansa had told her (she left out the bit about the blow job). To Gendry's credit, he didn't look around, but didn't seem very impressed with what Arya had told him either.

"Don't you think you're just uptight Arya? How could the Lannister's know about me already? Jeez, **I** only found out about **me** three days ago!"

"Well, there's one way to find out. Sansa said his name was Sandor. Let's find out if that's him."

"And how do you propose we do that Sherlock?"

"We'll obviously he knows I'm with you now, so I can't do it, but we get someone else to talk to him, say they think they know him from somewhere and ask if his name's Sandor. Then we'll be able to tell from his reaction if we're right."

"So what fool are you going to get to do that Poirot?"

"Well, who else do you know that's here? Someone that's smart enough to do it?"

"Are you being cheeky about my mates Nancy Drew?"

"Haven't you run out of stupid detective names yet?"

"Never will Miss Marple – I watch that shit on the TV all the time."

"You know what I mean." Arya huffed. "Who can we call on their mobile and get to talk to him?" Gendry sighed. She could tell he was pissed off. They'd both agreed to just go out tonight, have fun and forget about all that other stuff that had been going on. Yet here she was, reminding him all about it again.

"Jon's here somewhere with his team from Winterfell. They're probably down in the front row already, but you phone him if you want and see if he'll play your silly game."

"Give me your phone then. I've no pockets – see?" and she turned around and wiggled her arse at him to prove it. That always seemed to make him happy. Sure enough, when she turned back, he had his phone in his hand and a grin on his face.

She phoned Jon, who answered straight away, didn't seem very happy about it, but reluctantly agreed to go and speak to 'Sandor'.

While Gendry kept his back to the man, Arya watch Jon appear from out of the crowd, scan the bar for the man fitting Arya's description, then head for a space at the bar beside him. Jon was good. He tried to catch the attention of several bar staff unsuccessfully then turned, as if to moan about the service with 'Sandor'. Arya could imagine her big brother saying 'Hey, don't I know you from somewhere – the Alps maybe, or was it the Pyrenees…it's Sandor, right?' Sure enough, the big man was startled at being recognised, but recovered quickly enough and walked away from the bar, without looking back at Gendry. Jon disappeared back into the crowd with his drink. A few seconds later Gendry's phone flashed with a text.

"It IS him, I knew it!"

"Bloody great Arya. The Lannister's are tailing me. That's just made my night." Gendry muttered gloomily.

"Well it looks like he's gone now and anyway, what's going to happen in a crowded place like this? I'm not going to worry about it until tomorrow and you shouldn't either. Can you get me another Jack and black before the band starts? And make it a double this time honey?"

-o-

As the house lights went down, they moved away from the bar and into the crowd. Gendry stood close behind her, planted his feet, legs wide apart and wrapped his arms around her. She felt like a tsunami could break behind them and she would still be sheltered and protect in his arms.

As soon as the lights went down, the crowd surged forwards, around them towards the stage and the whistling and clapping started. Anticipation rippled through the hall. The clapping started out randomly, but quickly became rhythmic, punctuated by piercing whistles, yells of 'Fire and Blood' and 'Here we go!'

The crowd were chanting something, but Arya couldn't make out what it was. She had to ask Gendry who said it was 'Griff, Griff' - the singer's name. The rest of the band were on stage now and just as the chanting was reaching a crescendo a figure whirled onto the stage, running and executing a perfect cartwheel tumble across the stage, like Arya had seen footballers do when they scored a goal. He was all hair and limbs and electric energy and the crowd went wild. It was only when he grabbed the microphone stand, Arya was able to see he had shoulder length blue hair, pale, pale skin, make up around his eyes and what looked like a blue, sleeveless superman T shirt on. The T shirt was tucked into tight leather trousers with scarfs and belts hanging around his waist; kind of like Steve Tyler. He looked amazing.

He shouted out "Hello Westeros!" and the crowd went wild again. He made them a heart shape with his hands before breaking into the first song. Arya couldn't make out any of the words, but it had a thumping rhythm, catchy chorus and the crowd were loving it, singing along with every word. She could even feel Gendry behind her, bumping her ass in time to the music. The music was so loud and the place so cramped that the 'thump' of the bass vibrated in her chest . It was so loud it was painful, but the atmosphere was electric. The first thirty or so rows were moving up and down as one, like a wave, dying out as it reached the spaces in the crowd around where they stood. Nobody around them was jumping and Arya felt they were on the edge of the sea, standing on the beach, while all the other kids had fun in the water. She wanted to have fun too. There was no way Gendry would hear her, so she uncrossed his arms from her chest and tugged him forward until he got the message.

He mouthed "Are you sure?" with a rather worried look on his face, but she _was _sure and she hauled him behind her as she barged into the crowd.

Nobody paid them any attention as everyone was focused on the man on the stage. He was a natural. Arya had never seen any man work a crowd like this. Any concerts she had gone to before had involved sitting in or standing in front of your numbered seat, watching expertly choreographed dance routines and showbiz. But this was raw and powerful. He was their leader and they were his pack. He was whipping them up into a frenzy and one word or look from him was enough for the pack to go wild.

Arya loved the feeling of the strange bodies pressed tight around her, loved how, although she had never met any of them before, would never even exchange a word with them, they were all united by this common purpose - to worship the band and wring every last ounce of feeling from this night. The very best thing was having Gendry behind her, ready to catch her if she stumbled, ready to shove an erratic dancer out of their way if their flailing arms or legs threatened to hurt her. She was wild and free, but she was also _safe. _

Every time a song finished, the crowd would show their appreciation, all arms aloft clapping until the blue haired singer had the band start the next song, then there would be a few seconds silence, until the crowd recognised the first few bars of the song and then the singing along and the jumping would start again. Song after song came and the crowd knew every single word. Why had she never done anything like this before? Although her hair was plastered to her face with the exertion and the heat from the crowd, she loved it. Gendrys arms were burning on her waist. After every song she would turn around to grin at him and he would bend down and kiss her hard as he sneaked a quick grope of her breast under her top or even sliding his hand down the front of her trousers, oblivious to the others around them, before the next song started and they were moving again.

After a particularly fast number, the blue haired singer shouted that this was the last song and

"If you enjoyed this gig, guys take your tops off and give us all a show!" with a deafening roar, most of the boys and the men in the audience took their T shirts off. Arya had never seen anything like it: fat or thin, no-one seemed to care, only having to do what the blue haired boss told them. Arya looked expectantly at Gendry. He hadn't made any move to take his hands off her waist to remove his shirt. She mouthed to him to 'come on' and he reluctantly pulled his tight T shirt over his head and looped it through his belt. His chest was soaked in sweat, the black silky hair glistening under the strobe lights. She turned her back to the stage and grabbed him and kissed him just because he was gorgeous and she could and it was great to be alive.

As the lights came up and the roadies darted form the shadows onto the stage to disassemble mic stands and guitar stands, the crowd turned and made for the bars and the relative cool of the back of the hall. Genry pulled Arya around behind him as they fought their way, like the rest of them, through the slow moving throng to find some space. He stopped half way up the hall and turned to face her.

"Well?"

"It was _magic._ I've never experienced anything like that. It was the best thing ever!"

He grinned at her

"Are you sure – the _very_ best thing ever?"

She playfully punched his sweaty chest.

"Oh you know _you're _the best thing you big Stupid, but that was just _amazing_…"

While she was still talking he leant down to kiss her and crushed his sweat soaked face onto hers. Just as she said '_amazing_', his tongue snaked into her mouth. It was so unexpected and they were both so high from the gig that the fact his hair was dripping onto her face and her own was plastered to her back didn't matter. All that mattered was his tongue: smooth and wet and sexy, sending shocks of electric current straight south. His hands were on her bare back, slick with sweat and hair. She ground her hips into his and squeezed his hard arse in the leather bike trousers, wanting him to take her _right here, right now._ She had to break away to come up for air, and when she did she was horrified to see Jon, standing with his arms folded across his bare chest watching them. Not only was Jon there, but five other guys, all stripped to the waist and soaking in sweat, were standing in a half circle round them.

Arya pulled back from Gendry in embarrassment – shoving him away, but Jon was laughing.

"You two weren't hard to find - snogging in the middle of the floor."

Arya had a quick glance around, and sure enough, everyone else seemed to have disappeared off to the bar, leaving the two of them putting on a show of their own in the centre of the hall. Gendry didn't seem at all phased, obviously getting caught groping your girlfriend in front of your mates wasn't mortifying, but getting caught groping your boyfriend by your big brother was! Actually, Gendry was looking suspiciously pleased with himself.

Arya glanced around the circle at the men she didn't know. She recognised one from her last visit to see Jon and she presumed this was Jon's Winterfell team. They all looked like they'd been pulled from a river, absolutely soaking. Their T shirts were looped through their belts and each one of them was more ripped than the last. Arya had never seen so much muscle and had a hard time trying to stop her eyes wandering over every bare torso, as Jon introduced her

"This is Grenn, Pyp, Jeren, Halder and Tim.."

The first one, Grenn moved to hold out his hand to shake Arya's hand, but as soon as he realised how sweaty it was he pulled it back and just shrugged at her and smiled "Hi". They all did the same and Arya was struck by what friendly, open faces they had. They just seemed to be there to have a good time; with none of the posing and drama that she associated with the boys she knew from London.

Just as she was wondering where Sam was, he waddled up, mercifully with his t shirt still on, carrying a tray laden with pints of lager. Every man grabbed one and drank it down like it was the last drink they'd ever see.

Gendry and the other guys were as excited as teenage girls as they discussed the song order, the merits of the venue and the bum note someone had played two thirds through some song Arya had never heard of. It was all over her head and only because she wasn't paying much attention to their conversation did she notice the shock of blue hair striding towards them. Arya had never seen a man with eyes that colour before. The only way to describe them was 'violet' and they were fixed on her. The electric blue hair just made him look even more other-worldly. His skin was so pale it was almost translucent, making every vein and tendon visible. He was simply stunning and having him stare at her was making her very nervous indeed.

Arya nudged Gendry in the ribs and at the same time, everyone else seemed to notice Griff approaching. They all turned around to welcome him in to the centre of their circle. He gave each one in turn a 'Hi Five' while calling out their name. Each of Jon's friends virtually fell at Griff's feet. Arya had never seen men behave like that before.

When it was Arya's turn she couldn't speak for staring into the violet eyes rimmed with black make up. His alien eyes were locked on hers and without breaking eye contact he reached for her hand and gently brushed his cool lips to the back of it. Despite herself, she felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment.

"_My _Lady Stark" He whispered so softly that Arya doubted anyone else could have heard the emphasis on the 'My' but never the less, she felt Gendry's arm slide around her waist, marking his territory.

"What did you think of my band?" He asked, his eyes never leaving hers.

"_You were_… I mean _they _were… _amazing_" and she found herself fumbling over her words as if she was seventeen again. Griff's eyes were dancing with amusement, clearly aware of the effect he was having on her. Gendry pulled her into him, away from the spotlight of Griff's attention, forcing Griff to let go of her hand. Unperturbed, Griff turned smoothly to Gendry and clasped his hand around Gendry's free forearm, giving The Bull no option but to grab Griff's forearm back.

"You lucky Bastard" Griff said with a sly grin. Arya was painfully aware of the tension arcing between them and Gendry's tight smile as he returned Griff's forearm grip.

Jon was the last to be favoured with Griff's attention and to Jon he simply said "Brother" and the two of them embraced, only breaking apart when Sam arrived with another tray of drinks and shyly offered one to Griff. Without hesitation Griff grabbed the nearest one while telling Sam he was the truest friend a man could ever have. Sam also blushed furiously and Arya could only marvel at the effect Griff had on all of them. If this was star quality, Griff had it in spades. She caught Jon's attention as Griff spoke to Sam and mouthed "Brother?" at him questioningly. Jon just shrugged his shoulders and grinned back at her.

There was a gaggle of girls outside their circle. When Griff was finished holding court in the centre, the circle opened and Arya was able to see that they were surrounded by tiny girls, almost all wearing the same dragon T shirt that Griff wore, but in black, rather than his Superman blue. Actually, the girls weren't so tiny, it was just that Griff and all the men she was standing with were so tall. Suddenly Arya was aware of twenty pairs of jealous girl's eyes giving her evil looks. It wasn't hard to see why. There she was, surrounded by six ripped men, all stripped to the waist, Sam, Gendry who towered and smouldered over them all and Griff the Rock God. Oh – what would the Arya of two weeks ago made of all this? 'She would have hated me too' Arya thought to herself with a smile.

The girls now flooded into the circle and it was clear that some of them knew Jon's friends as there seemed to be quite a bit of greeting and groping going on. Arya couldn't help notice that Jon and Griff were now too deep in conversation to notice or care what anyone else was doing.

It didn't take much to get Gendry to agree to take her to the bar to get another drink. He seemed to be so relieved to get her away from Griff that he didn't protest when she ordered another double 'Jack and Black'. He had a pint of coke.

They were standing at the bar and she knew she was pushing her luck when she asked him about Griff. She wanted to know all about him, but Gendry obviously didn't want to discuss Griff at all. When she asked what age Griff was, Gendry pulled a face and reluctantly muttered

"About twenty one I think."

When Arya asked what Griff's second name was Gendry groaned

"He doesn't have one. It's just 'Griff'. His father was a big rock star and he thinks that if it comes out who his father was, then he'll be accused of riding his father's coat tails and being another wannabe 'son of someone famous'. He wants to make a name for himself first."

Arya wanted to know more

"But _you_ know his real name?" There was no way Griff would be calling Jon 'Brother' if Jon didn't know who he really was, and if Jon knew - his best friend Gendry knew too.

"Yeah, Arya and I'm not telling _you._ Now stop asking me about that blue haired twat before you really piss me off and I start thinking you're more interested in _him_ than in _me_." Gendry was scowling and his brows were down. He looked just like a little boy in a big sulk. She suddenly realised he was jealous!

"Ok, Ok, I'll not ask you about him again, but he's gonna be huge isn't he and I'm just curious." And after that she shut up about Griff the Rock Star. Just because she wasn't talking about him, didn't stop her thinking about those violet eyes, rimmed with black make up.

The main band was nothing compared with Griff's Fire and Blood. Arya would have quite happily left to go back to Gendry's flat, but he wanted to stay. So she kept drinking the Jack Daniels and he watched the band.

Once they were outside in the fresh air, the alcohol hit her and she felt herself stumbling down the last few stairs from the venue. As usual, her knight in shinning armour was there to put his arm protectively around her and help steady her.

John and most of the other guys were already waiting outside. Grenn was singing one of the Fire and Blood songs very badly at the top of his voice. A few random passers by were joining in.

"Want to come back for a party in the barracks" Sam offered enthusiastically.

Gendry looked at Arya, nestled against his chest and drawled

"Nah, I want to take my girl home."

"Well, you both come." Sam obviously didn't want to take 'no' for an answer.

"Yeah, you could Bull as I don't want to be the only sober bastard with this lot of piss artists" Jon moaned. As the boys argued, Arya let her hand and her mind wander. Gendry's buttocks were rock hard and she was enjoying trying to distract him while he was talking to the guys, but her eyes wandered to the old man selling tomorrows newspaper outside The Tourney. He was behind a red, moveable stand with the front page of tomorrow's paper on it. She was too far away to read it properly, but, even in her drunken state, she didn't like what she saw. Extracting her hand from Gendry's pants, she felt for some money in her jacket pocket and staggered over to buy a newspaper. As she got nearer she was able to read the headline.

"Respected doctor dies in horrific accident"

Her heart was pounding and her hand shaking as she handed over a fiver for the paper. She waved away the old man's attempts to give her change. Maybe Gendry was right and she was paranoid, after all every doctor was 'respected' weren't they? As she unfolded the paper her worst fears were realised

Under the headline there was a picture of Dr Cressen, just as she'd remembered him, looking serious in his white shirt, sleeves rolled up. She couldn't take in the whole report, her eyes just flicked between the lines, picking up the words "Maesters Hospital…genetic research…skidded…no other car involved…Lord Baratheon…wife distraught…"

She felt Gendry's strong arms around her again and his warm breath on her neck

"What's up Arya?" She couldn't help herself bursting into tears. It was all too much, the fight with her parents, Sandor, the Lannisters and now Dr Cressen was dead. She was terrified for Gendry. She couldn't even speak to him for sobbing into his chest. He smoothed his hands over her hair and down her back, murmuring 'Shhh. Shhh' after a few moments he must have caught sight of the front page as she heard him exclaim

"Oh shit!"

Within moments Jon was beside her too. She heard Gendry explaining about the doctor and poor Jon's worried voice when Gendry told him he was now concerned for _her_ safety. The two of them were arranging for Arya to go back with Jon in his Land Rover, but she didn't want that. She wanted, she needed, to be with Gendry. She wanted to be able to cling onto him on the back of his bike to feel his heart beat and know he was safe and alive. She hugged him tighter and told him she wasn't letting him go. He soothed her again and stroked her hair and asked Jon if he would drive behind them back to Winterfell where he'd drop her off to stay at the barracks. That's not what Arya wanted either and it was Jon that came to her rescue telling Gendry he didn't think she should sleep alone tonight. Thank God for Jon - he always seemed to know what she was thinking.

The two of them then had a discussion about it all over her head. Gendry told Jon briefly about his finding out who his father was. Arya knew how pleased Jon would be that Gendry now knew who both of his parents were and how much Jon longed to know that too. The two men decided Arya would go back to Gendry's flat for the night and then Jon would also come back to stay at the flat, after he'd dropped the piss artists back at the barracks. Arya heard Gendry tell Jon he'd got some information for him from Renly and that he'd tell him later. Despite the shock, Arya desperately wanted to hear what Renly had said, as Gendry's uncle seemed to hold the key to everything.

Within minutes of it being agreed, she was on the bike and Gendry was pulling out to follow Jon's black Land Rover home.

She'd never clung onto him so tightly and they'd never ridden so fast. Getting out of King's Landing had been tortuous, with every red light seeming to be against them. As soon as they hit the motorway Jon's Land Rover sped away and Gendry's bike responded with a deep, powerful roar, as they sped after him. Arya had no idea how fast they were going, but it must have been way over the speed limit and as fast as the Land Rover would go. The motorbike felt smoother than ever and she even felt safe as Gendry leant the bike right over into the bends as they raced home.

Once they were off the motorway again they had to drop the pace, but it wasn't long before the gates of the Winterfell Estate were looming and Jon had to turn off the main road to take his Team home. As they sped past, Arya caught a glimpse of five hairy arses pressed against the windows of the Land Rover, giving them a send off before they disappeared through the Winterfell gates.

Back at the flat, Gendry made her change into one of his T shirts and tried to get her to go to bed. She wouldn't go to sleep without him and he wanted to wait for Jon, so still fully clothed, he climbed into bed beside her. There was so much to say, but she was now so tired, she didn't even have the energy to quiz him about Renly. They just cuddled and she was drifting off to sleep when she felt him get out of bed. He whispered

"That's Jon. Just go to sleep and I'll be back soon" as he got up and quietly closed the door behind him. She tried to stir herself to get up. She HAD to hear what he was going to tell Jon. Sleepily she dragged herself out of bed and stumbled into the living room.

Instantly she snapped fully awake, adrenalin pumping through her veins like never before. Gendry was standing, frozen against the wall, with his hands over his head, while a masked man pointed a gun at his head. It was as if she was viewing the scene in slow motion. She was able to take in everything - the silencer on the gun, the front door still ajar, the panic on Gendry's face when he saw her - in an instant.

Without moving the gun away from Gendry the masked man tilted his head to Arya and snarled

"I thought you said you were alone you Baratheon Bastard! But never mind, it's all the better for my employer. She's going to get two for the price of one tonight."

The masked man waved the gun at Gendry.

"Get on your knees bastard. You can watch as she gets hers first."

As Gendry slumped to his knees, the masked man kicked him. As Arya heard the dull thud of boot connecting with flesh, there was a blur of movement from behind the door and, quicker than Arya thought possible, Jon had a knife to the masked man's throat.

"Drop the gun." Her brother ordered. Instead of complying, the masked man whirled around to point the gun at Jon. Maybe the assassin hadn't realised the object held to his neck was a knife, sharpened to a needle-like point. The movement of his neck as he brought the gun around was enough for the blade to slice through his carotid artery, sending a column of blood spurting four feet in the air and splattering the ceiling of Gendry's flat. The man didn't even seem to realise he was fatal wounded, still trying to turn the gun on Jon, as his life's blood spurted out his neck. Arya noticed with a horrible fascination that each spurt didn't reach as far, and by the time the man sank to his knees, the blood was no longer spurting but slowly pumping out of the gash in his neck, soaking his clothing and the floor.

Jon took a few seconds to recover, dropping his knife like it was on fire and then trying to press his hands over the wound in the man's neck to stem the flow of blood. It was no use; the blood was still oozing through Jon's clasped hands.

Arya realised Gendry was yelling something at her.

"Get my phone and phone Renly. Do it NOW Arya!" She stumbled into the bedroom and came back with it.

"Why not the police?" Surely it was the police you phoned when something like this happened?

"NO! Phone Renly and tell him I need help here NOW! Don't give him details, just tell him _**it's started**_." Arya did what she was told. While she waited for Renly to pick up a bewildered, bloodsoaked Jon asked Gendry,

"What's started?"

"A war Jon. A Goddamn war."

-o-

**So, who killed Dr Cressen? Will Gendry save Lord Baratheon? What happened in Winterfell 25 summer's ago that led to Robb, Jon and Gendry all being born 9 months later? Why doesn't Ned think Gendry is right for Arya? So many questions to answer and we've also got Arya's 21st birthday, Jon leaving Winterfell and Robb's wedding (with kilts!) on the horizon…**

**But what happened to chapter 25? Well, I've had a burning idea consuming me that I need to get out. I have always seen Gendry as an Alpha Male and I have been watching Teen Wolf (I have to thank Venessia for that). So, in a weird mash up, I NEED to write about Gendry, in fact all the Baratheon's, as Werewolves. Obviously the Starks are going to feature in this, but none of them are currently Werewolves and if you want to find out why, you're gonna have to read the missing chapter 25/chapter 1 of Wolf's Helmet where Renly will explain it all… **

**So, I'm going to take a break from Bull's Helmet here. This has been my first Fanfic and I've learnt soooooo much, but I have to admit, I've been a bit disappointed by the lack of reviews. Venessia deserves to get a special mention again here as she has give me 14 fantastic reviews which, alone, is a third of my total. Only a few people out of hundreds of viewers have bothered to review. So I'm going to ask you, for the first and last time, if you enjoyed this (or I suppose even if you didn't) will you please say something - anything about it?! I hope to come back to Bull's Helmet, but if there's not enough interest I might not bother!**

**So I hope to meet you again in Wolf's Helmet - available next weekend. Hope you come along for the ride…**

_**Lady3jane**_

_**5th October 2012**_

Shit. Arya had forgotten about Gendry's promise to Ned. She didn't want to go back to Winterfell on her own. It was only ten thirty and she plans to get Gendry out of those leather trousers that had been tempting her all evening. She was too tired to argue, but snuggled in closer under his jacket and started working her hand down the back of his trousers, hoping he'd decide to take her back to his flat first.


	27. Epilogue

_Hello Fanfic world. It's been a long time since I looked at Bull's Helmet but I have to admit I enjoyed reading it again. I hope you enjoyed it too. Thanks to everyone for your reviews, particularly the guests that I can't thank personally. I'm happy with the way my Wolf's Helmet story is going and I now know I won't be back to Bull's Helmet. So this is the final posting and I'll mark it as 'complete'. However the same story continues in Wolf's Helmet, albeit with a supernatural twist. _

_One final thing to add…while writing this I was channelling Ben Foden (who is my perfect Gendry – swoon) and ok, Una Healy too who is a pretty good Arya look alike. I suggest you have a look at him on the net. I'm sure you won't be disappointed! Enjoy…_

Epilogue

Arya woke first, as was their habit now. She would enjoy slowly waking up, feeling his heat against her, his heavy arm across her hip and, if she wiggled her bum, his hard cock against her back. Sleeping naked with Gendry was now normal, but it never ceased to amaze her in those first few minutes of waking, that they were together and that he loved her so much. Everyday, in the quiet of the morning, she tried to remember what her life had been like before him; sleeping alone, being alone and to remember how lucky she was to be in his arms. Everyday she promised herself she would never let him leave her again.

Sometimes, at the weekends, when she didn't have to work, she would allow herself to fall asleep again, knowing that they had all day to make love and hang out, but today they didn't have that luxury. Today was her birthday and she had a schedule.

Arya turned over and Gendry grunted softly as he was forced to move. He didn't immediately wake up, so she lay and watched him. His long dark eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks as he slept, thick black hair, messed up and falling over his forehead, the morning's stubble shadowing his jaw. When he was sleeping it was so easy to see Gendry as the boy she'd loved all her life and to remember how they had been before everything had got so _complicated_.

He began to stir and reach for her again. She let him fumble his arm back around her waist and pull her towards him, mumbling her name and holding her tight. His tattoo was visible above the sheet and she looked again for the bite marks that had sliced through it. In the bright morning light she should have been able to see at least a hint of scarring, but there was nothing defiling the perfect semi circles of 'Valar' and 'Morghulis' etched into the muscle of his arm. She gently traced the outline, smiling to herself as she remembered his shy confession that he'd got it to done for her. Sometimes he could be so stupid – as if she would have ever believed it was for anyone else.

At her touch he stirred again and opened his eyes slightly, a grin spreading across his face as he saw her watching him.

"Morning gorgeous" he murmured sleepily, squeezing her hip

"Morning gorgeous yourself" she grinned back, watching him stretch and begin to really wake up. The sheet tented over his morning glory erection and she felt her own juices begin to flow in response. She shivered with delightful anticipation and leaned over to kiss him, starting softly and then, as he kissed her back and pulled her on top of him, harder, meeting his tongue as it slipped into her mouth. She could feel his cock, hard as iron, trapped between them and rolled her hips from side to side to feel his thick shaft move beneath her. Just as she was about to sit up and ride him, he broke their kiss and pulled himself into a sitting position, making her pull her legs up and sit up too. Hmm, this position could be good, she thought, but he didn't attempt to lift her up to position her over his cock. Instead he cupped her face gently in his hands and whispered

"Happy Birthday Arya. I've got you a present."

"Hmm, I can feel it and it's just what I've always wanted" she giggled back and started to lift her hips up and onto him.

"Girl, you are insatiable and I'll give it to you good later, but I want to give you something else first."

"Can't it wait? I'm the birthday girl and I want to shag you now Big G." she moaned and licked along his stubbly jaw. He firmly lifted her off his lap and sat her on the bed as he swung his legs over the side.

"No, I've been dying to give you this for weeks and _I_ can't wait any longer." He strode over to his dressing room and lifted his gym bag down. 'Well hidden', she thought to herself - no way would she ever have wanted to go digging around in that. He brought out a flat, black jewellery box. Arya was unexpectedly relieved to see it wasn't from Cartier. Sliding it under his arm, he then lifted down a big, square box with a silver bow from the high shelf where it had been hidden behind the gym bag.

"Two presents!" she squealed happily.

"Three if you count this!" he laughed, wiggling his hips and shaking his cock at her. It had lost some of its morning glory and was sticking straight out at ninety degrees now, rather than standing stiff against his belly. He looked so ridiculous shaking it at her and also so happy, that she had to laugh too.

Hopefully they had weathered their storm and their life together would return to normal now - well a semblance of 'normal'. Nothing would ever be the same again, but surely, she thought, they both deserved some peace and quiet and time to enjoy each other.

He jogged over to the bed, jiggling his willy as he came and singing 'Happy Birthday' tunelessly. He presented her with the two boxes and told her to open the big one first.

It was beautifully wrapped in silver '21st' paper and a big silver bow. Once she carefully removed the wrapping, the writing on the box gave the contents away – 'Arai' was written all over the box.

"Is this what I think it is?" she asked him coyly, trying not to laugh at his being so excited. He was acting like a kid at Christmas.

"Open it and find out!" he encouraged, his eyes shining with anticipation. She opened the box and pulled out the helmet, safely covered by a silky black bag. She undid the drawstring carefully and eased the helmet out. It was glossy jet black, with an internal black sun visor, air vents running over the top like some kind of dinosaur mohawk and the most amazing art work of a silver wolf emblazoned across the back and sides – the wolf version of his bull helmet.

"Wow, it's beautiful and I love it!" she squealed with genuine delight.

"Try it on" he urged. She did and it fitted snugly over her head. She flipped the sun visor down and felt like The Stig from Top Gear.

"I want to take a look!" She scrambled off the bed to go and see her refection. She flipped the sun visor up and tilted the helmet this way and that, to see the wolf in the mirror. Gendry was laughing at her from across the room.

"What's so funny Lord Baratheon?" she asked in a muffled voice.

"You! You look like the sexiest model for a bike helmet there's ever been. I should take your picture for that 'reader's girlfriend' page in my bike magazine..

She hadn't looked at anything other than the helmet in the mirror, but now he mentioned it, the big black helmet with her naked body sticking out of it did look ridiculous. She pulled it off and shook her hair out.

"I love it. Was it done by the same guy who did your helmet?"

"Yep!" Gendry said proudly. "I commissioned it weeks ago, even before… you know what."

"So it's a Stark wolf helmet and not a werewolf helmet then?"

"Umm, I suppose it is. Does that make you like it more?" he wondered, trying hard not to sound like he cared and failing miserably.

"I love it because you had it made for me and of course it means both of those things to me. Come here stupid!" She straddled his lap again as he sat on the bed and wrapped her arms around his neck. He hugged her back and for a moment they were content just holding each other. Then he had to go and ruin it by nuzzling into her neck and jokingly muttering

"I hope you like the next present more than you liked your engagement ring."

Arya felt herself stiffen with embarrassment and blush scarlet. She could try and deny it, try and claim she never wore the ring because it was too big, but they both knew that was a lie. So she just said nothing and buried her face in his neck and hugged him tighter.

He pulled back so he could see her face and continued

"Babe, I know you didn't pick this either, but I put a lot of thought into it and it's for both of us and…well, I just hope you like it."

"For both of us?" she asked warily, unable to think of what on earth it could be. He nodded solemnly, holding the box out to her. She opened it and, sitting on the black satin cloth were two necklaces. One gold, one silver and each one with two pendants – one a circle and the other an oblong. The circular one bore the wolf's head of the Stark sigil - 'Winter is coming' engraved around the rim. The second was the crowned, prancing Baratheon stag with 'Ours is the fury' engraved under the stag's hoofs. The two pendants hung, separately, but together, on the chain.

"The gold one's yours Arya. Try it on."

She held it up, so that the pendants swung free.

The chain was long enough for Arya to slip over her head. The two pendants nestled between her breasts. They wouldn't be seen unless she wore a _very_ low cut top, but she would always know they were there.

"Do you like it?"

She didn't answer and instead took the silver necklace, which was identical, only chunkier, and slipped it over his head.

"I'm not really a gold chain kind of guy" he said apologetically as she settled it on the middle of his chest.

"It's to symbolize us and it's my way of saying I don't mind if you keep your own name when we get married. You'll always be Arya Stark to me."

No-one understood her the way he did. Tears began to roll down her eyes and all she could do was hold him and whisper "I love you Gendry." He wiped them away with a big, solid hand.

"Hey, don't cry. I want you to be happy on your birthday Arya." He feathered her forehead and her eyes with kisses until she stopped crying.

"So do you want your third present now?" he asked gently.

"Oh you left the best until last did you?" she sniffed and couldn't help but start to laugh at his cheeky face and the twinkle in his eyes as he began to slowly grind his hips and thighs up against her as she sat on his lap.

"Well, we need to get some practice in. I want _loads_ of kids!"

"Really? I was thinking of a black haired boy and a brown haired girl."

"Nope. Six!"

"Six?" she wailed in mock horror. "How about I have three or four and you just bring me back another few?"

"Don't even joke about that!" he growled.

"Ok, ok, that was a bad joke, but six?"

"Yup! I want them to grow up with lots of brothers and sisters like you. So we'd better get a move on Stark."

"Well, I still don't know about six, but it'll be fun practicing" she smirked.

And it was.

_This is the end of Bull's Helmet._

**But if you want to read about what happened between chapter 26 of Bull's Helmet and this epilogue then you can go read Wolf's Helmet!**


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